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FAIRY TALES EVERY 
CHILD SHOULD KNOW 


A SELECTION OF THE BEST FAIRY TALES 
OF ALL TIMES AND OF ALL AUTHORS 

... _ ~ EDITED BY -’ 1 1 = 


HAMILTON WRIGHT MABIE 

nr 

ILLUSTRATED AND DECORATED 
BY BLANCHE OSTERTAG 



NEW YORK 
Doubleday, Page & Company 
*905 







Copyright, 1905, by 

DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY 
Published May, 1905 



A ll rights reserved , 

including that 0/ translation into foreign languages , 
including the Scandinavian. 




LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Copies rteceivtsu 


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COPY B. 


IV 









INTRODUCTION 


The fairy tale is a poetic recording of the facts of 
life, an interpretation by the imagination of its hard 
conditions, an effort to reconcile the spirit which 
loves freedom and goodness and beauty with its 
harsh, bare and disappointing conditions. It is, in 
its earliest form, a spontaneous and instinctive en¬ 
deavor to shape the facts of the world to meet the 
needs of the imagination, the cravings of the heart. 
It involves a free, poetic dealing with realities in 
accordance with the law of mental growth; it is the 
naive activity of the young imagination of the race, 
untrammelled by the necessity of rigid adherence 
to the fact. 

The myths record the earliest attempt at an expla¬ 
nation of the world and its life; the fairy tale records 
the free and joyful play of the imagination, opening 
doors through hard conditions to the spirit, which 
craves power, freedom, happiness; righting wrongs 
and redressing injuries; defeating base designs; re¬ 
warding patience and virtue; crowning true love 
with happiness; placing the powers of darkness 
under the control of man and making their ministers 
his servants. In the fairy story, men are not set 
entirely free from their limitations, but, by the aid 
of fairies, genii, giants and demons, they are put 


VI 


Introduction 


in command of unusual powers and make themselves 
masters of the forces of nature. 

The oldest fairy stories constitute a fascinating 
introduction to the book of modern science, curi¬ 
ously predicting its discoveries, its uncovering of the 
resources of the earth and air, its growing control of 
the tremendous forces which work in earth and air. 
And it is significant that the recent progress of 
science is steadily toward what our ancestors would 
have considered fairy land; for in all the imaginings 
of the childhood of the race there was nothing more 
marvellous or more audaciously improbable than the 
transmission of the accents and modulations of 
familiar voices through long distances, and the 
power of communication across leagues of sea with¬ 
out mechanical connections of any kind. 

The faculty which created the fairy tale is the 
same faculty which, supplemented by a broader ob¬ 
servation and based on more accurate knowledge, 
has broadened the range and activities of modern 
man, made the world accessible to him, enabled him 
to live in one place but to speak and act in places 
thousands of miles distant, given him command of 
colossal forces, and is fast making him rich on a 
scale which would have seemed incredible to men 
of a half-century ago. There is nothing in any 
fairy tale more marvellous and inherently improba¬ 
ble than many of the achievements of scientific 
observation and invention, and we are only at the 
beginning of the wonders that lie within the reach 
of the human spirit! 

No one can understand the modern world with- 


Introduction 


vii 

out the aid of the imagination, and as the frontiers 
of knowledge are pushed still further away from 
the obvious and familiar, there will be an increasing 
tax on the imagination. The world of dead matter 
which our fathers thought they understood has be¬ 
come a world of subtle forces moving with incon¬ 
ceivable velocity; nothing is inert, all things are 
transformed into other and more elusive shapes pre¬ 
cisely as the makers of the fairy tales foresaw and 
predicted; the world lives in every atom just as 
their world lived; forces lie just outside the range 
of physical sight, but entirely within the range of 
spiritual vision, precisely as the tellers of these old 
stories divined; mystery and wonder enfold all 
things, and not only evoke the full play of the mind, 
but flood it with intimations and suggestions of the 
presence of more elusive and subtle forces, of finer 
and more obedient powers, as the world of fairies, 
magi and demons enfolded the ancient earth of 
daily toil and danger. 

In a word, the fairy stories have come true; they 
are historical in the sense that they faithfully report 
a stage of spiritual growth and predict a higher 
order of realities through a deeper knowledge of 
actualities. They were poetic renderings of facts 
which science is fast verifying, chiefly by the use of 
the same faculty which enriched early literature with 
the myth and the fairy tale. The scientist has turned 
poet in these later days, and the imagination which 
once expressed itself in a free handling of facts so 
as to make them answer the needs and demands of 
the human spirit, now expresses itself in that 


Introduction 


viii 

breadth of vision which reconstructs an extinct 
animal from a bone and analyzes the light of a sun 
flaming on the outermost boundaries of space. 

This collection of tales, gathered from the rich 
literature of the childhood of the world, or from the 
books of the few modern men who have found the 
key of that wonderful world, is put forth not only 
without apology, but with the hope that it may 
widen the demand for these charming reports of a 
world in which the truths of our working world 
are loyally upheld, while its hard facts are quietly 
but authoritatively dismissed from attention. The 
widest interpretation has been given to the fairy 
tale, so as to include many of those classic romances 
of childhood in which no fairy appears, but which 
are invested with the air and are permeated with 
the glorious freedom of fairy land. 

No sane man or woman undervalues the immense 
gains of the modern world in the knowledge of facts 
and the .application of ideas to things in order to 
secure comfort, health, access to the treasure in the 
earth and on its surface, the means of education 
and greater freedom from the tyranny of toil by the 
accumulation of the fruits of toil; but no sane man 
or woman believes that a mechanical age is other 
than a transitional age, that the possession of things 
is the final achievement of society, and that in multi¬ 
plication of conveniences civilization will reach its 
point of culmination. 

We are so engrossed in getting rich that we for¬ 
get that by and by, when we have become rich, we 
shall have to learn how to live; for work can never 


Introduction 


IX 


be an end in itself; it is a “ means of grace ” when 
it is not drudgery; and it must, in the long run, be 
a preparation for play. For play is not organized 
idleness, frivolity set in a fanciful order; it is the 
normal, spontaneous exercise of physical activity, 
the wholesome gayety of the mind, the natu¬ 
ral expression of the spirit, without self-con¬ 
sciousness, constraint, or the tyranny of hours and 
tasks. It is the highest form of energy, because 
it is free and creative; a joy in itself, and therefore 
a joy in the world. This is the explanation of the 
sense of freedom and elation which come from a 
great work of art; it is the instinctive perception of 
the fact that while immense toil lies behind the 
artist’s skill, the soul of the creation came from be¬ 
yond the world of work and the making of it was a 
bit of play. The man of creative spirit is often a 
tireless worker, but in his happiest hours he is at 
play; for all work, when it rises into freedom and 
power, is play. “ We work,” wrote a Greek thinker 
of the most creative people who have yet appeared, 
“ in order that we may have leisure.” The note of 
that life was freedom; its activity was not “ evoked 
by external needs, but was free, spontaneous and de¬ 
lightful ; an ordered energy which stimulates all the 
vital and mental powers.” 

Robert Louis Stevenson, who knew well how to 
touch work with the spirit and charm of play, re¬ 
ports of certain evenings spent at a clubhouse near 
Brussels, that the men who gathered there “ were 
employed over the frivolous mercantile concerns of 
Belgium during the day; but in the evening they 


X 


Introduction 


found some hours for the serious concerns of life.” 
They gave their days to commerce, but their even¬ 
ings were devoted to more important interests! 

These words are written for those older people 
who have made the mistake of straying away from 
childhood; children do not read introductions, be¬ 
cause they know that the valuable part of the book 
is to be found in the later pages. They read the 
stories; their elders read the introduction as well. 
They both need the stuff of imagination, of which 
myths, legends, and fairy tales are made. So much 
may be said of these old stories that it is a serious 
question where to begin, and a still more difficult 
question where to end. For these tales are the first 
outpourings of that spring of imagination whence 
flow the most illuminating, inspiring, refreshing and 
captivating thoughts and ideas about life. No 
philosophy is deeper than that which underlies 
these stories; no psychology is more important than 
that which finds its choicest illustration in them; 
no chapter in the history of thought is more sug¬ 
gestive and engrossing than that which records 
their growth and divines their meaning. Fairy tales 
and myths are so much akin that they are easily 
transformed and exchange costumes without chang¬ 
ing character; while the legend, which belongs to a 
later period, often reflects the large meaning of the 
myth and the free fancy of the fairy tale. 

As a class, children not only possess the faculty 
of imagination, but are very largely occupied with 
it during the most sensitive and formative years, 
and those who lack it are brought under its spell by 


Introduction 


xi 


their fellows. They do not accurately distinguish 
between the actual and the imaginary, and they live 
at ease in a world out of which paths run in every 
direction into wonderland. They begin their educa¬ 
tion when they begin to play; for play not only 
affords an outlet for their energy, and so supplies 
one great means of growth and training, but places 
them in social relations with their mates and in con¬ 
scious contact with the world about them. The old 
games that have been played by generations of chil¬ 
dren not only precede the training of the school 
and supplement it, but accomplish some results in 
the nature of the child which are beyond the reach 
of the school. When a crowd of boys are rushing 
across country in “ hounds and deer,” they are 
giving lungs, heart and muscles the best possible 
exercise; they are sharing certain rules of honor 
with one another, expressed in that significant 
phrase, “ fair play ”; and they are giving rein to 
their imaginations in the very name of their occu¬ 
pation. Body, spirit and imagination have their part 
in every good game; for the interest of a game lies 
in its appeal to the imagination, as in “ hounds and 
deer,” or in its stimulus to activity, as in “ tag ” and 
“ hide-and-seek.” 

There are few chapters in the biography of the 
childhood of men of genius more significant than 
those which describe imaginary worlds which were, 
for a time, as real as the actual world in which the 
boy lived. Goethe entertained and mystified his 
playmates with accounts of a certain garden in 
which he wandered at will, but which they could 


Introduction 


xii 

not find; and De Quincey created a kingdom, with 
all its complex relations and varied activities, which 
he ruled with beneficence and affection until, in an 
unlucky hour, he revealed his secret to his brother, 
who straightway usurped his authority, and gov¬ 
erned his subjects with such tyranny and cruelty 
that De Quincey was compelled to save his people 
by destroying them. 

These elaborate and highly organized efforts of 
the young imagination, of which boys and girls of 
unusual inventiveness are capable, are imitated on 
a smaller scale by all normal children. They endow 
inanimate things with life, and play and suffer with 
them as with their real playmates. The little girl 
not only talks with her dolls, but weeps with and for 
them when disaster overtakes them. The boy faces 
foes of his own making in the woods, or at lonely 
places in the road, who are quite as real to him as the 
people with whom he lives. By common agreement 
a locality often becomes a historic spot to a whole 
group of boys; enemies are met and overcome there; 
grave perils are bravely faced; and the magic some¬ 
times lingers long after the dream has been dis¬ 
solved in the dawning light of definite knowledge. 
Childhood is one long day of discovery; first, to the 
unfolding spirit, there is revealed a wonderland 
partly actual and partly created by the action of the 
mind; then follows the slow awakening, when the 
growing boy or girl learns to distinguish between 
fact and fancy, and to separate the real from the 
imaginary. 

This process of learning to “ see things as they 


Introduction 


xiii 

are ” is often regarded as the substance of education, 
and to be able to distinguish sharply and accurately 
between reality and vision, actual and imaginary 
image is accepted as the test of thorough training 
of the intelligence. What really takes place is the 
readjustment of the work of the faculties so as to 
secure harmonious action; and in the happy and 
sound development of the nature the imagination 
does not give place to observation, but deals with 
principles, forces and laws instead of with things. 
The loss of vision is never compensated for by the 
gain of sight; to see a thing one must use his mind 
quite as much as his eye. It too often happens, as 
the result of our educational methods, that in train¬ 
ing the observer we blight the poet; and the poet 
is, after all, the most important person in society. 
He keeps the soul of his fellows alive. Without him 
the modern world would become one vast, dreary, 
soul-destroying Coketown, and man would sink to 
the level of Gradgrind. The practical man de¬ 
velops the resources of the country, the man of 
vision discerns, formulates and directs its spiritual 
policy and growth; the mechanic builds the house, 
but the architect creates it; the artisan makes the 
tools, but the artist uses them; the observer sees and 
records the fact, but the scientist discovers the law; 
the man of affairs manages the practical concerns 
of the world from day to day, but the poet makes it 
spiritual, significant, interesting, worth living in. 

The modern child passes through the same stages 
as did the children of four thousand years ago. He, 
too, is a poet. He believes that the world about him 


XIV 


Introduction 


throbs with life and is peopled with all manner of 
strange, beautiful, powerful folk, who live just out¬ 
side the range of his sight; he, too, personifies light 
and heat and storm and wind and cold as his re¬ 
mote ancestors did. He, too, lives in and through 
his imagination; and if, in later life, he grows in 
power and becomes a creative man, his achievements 
are the fruits of the free and vigorous life of his 
imagination. The higher kinds of power, the higher 
opportunities of mind, the richer resources, the 
springs of the deeper happiness, are open to him in 
the exact degree in which he is able to use his im¬ 
agination with individual freedom and intelligence. 
Formal education makes small provision for this 
great need of his nature; it trains his eye, his hand, 
his faculty of observation, his ability to reason, his 
capacity for resolute action; but it takes little ac¬ 
count of that higher faculty which, cooperating with 
the other faculties, makes him an architect instead of 
a builder, an artist instead of an artisan, a poet in¬ 
stead of a drudge. 

The fairy tale belongs to the child and ought al¬ 
ways to be within his reach, not only because it is his 
special literary form and his nature craves it, but 
because it is one of the most vital of the textbooks 
offered to him in the school of life. In ultimate im¬ 
portance it outranks the arithmetic, the grammar, 
the geography, the manuals of science; for without 
the aid of the imagination none of these books is 
really comprehensible. 

Hamilton Wright Mabie. 


March , 1905. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Introduction.. 

One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes i 

The Magic Mirror .n 

The Enchanted Stag.26 

Hansel and Grethel.35 

1 The Story of Aladdin ; or, The Wonderful Lamp 48 

The History of Ali Baba, and of the Forty Rob¬ 
bers Killed by One Slave.109 

The Second Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor . . 140 

The White Cat.147 

The Golden Goose.166 

The Twelve Brothers.173 

The Fair One with the Golden Locks . . . 180 

Tom Thumb.195 

Blue Beard.204 

Cinderella ; or, The Little Glass Slipper . . 212 

Puss in Boots.222 

The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood .... 229 

/ Jack and the Bean-Stalk ...... 236 

Jack the Giant Killer.254 

Little Red Riding Hood.273 

The Three Bears ..276 

The Princess on the Pea.279 

The Ugly Duckling.281 

The Light Princess.294 

Beauty and the Beast.352 














xvi 






Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 





xvii 






XV111 







FAIRY TALES EVERY CHILD 
SHOULD KNOW 


CHAPTER I 

ONE EYE, TWO EYES, THREE EYES 

There was once a woman who had three daugh¬ 
ters, of whom the eldest was named “ One Eye,” be¬ 
cause she had only one eye in the middle of her fore¬ 
head. The second had two eyes, like other people, 
and she was called “ Two Eyes.” The youngest had 
three eyes, two like her second sister, and one in the 
middle of her forehead, like the eldest, and she bore 
the name of “ Three Eyes.” 

Now because little Two Eyes looked just like 
other people, her mother and sisters could not en¬ 
dure her. They said to her, “ You are not better 
than common folks, with your two eyes; you don’t 
belong to us.” 

So they pushed her about, and threw all their old 
clothes to her for her to wear, and gave her only 
the pieces that were left to eat, and did everything 
that they could to make her miserable. It so hap¬ 
pened that little Two Eyes was sent into the fields 
to take care of the goats, and she was often very 
hungry, although her sisters had as much as they 
liked to eat. So one day she seated herself on a 
mound in the field, and began to weep and cry so 
bitterly that two little rivulets flowed from her eyes. 


2 Fairy Talcs Every Child Should Know 

Once, in the midst of her sorrow she looked up, and 
saw a woman standing near her who said, “ What 
are you weeping for, little Two Eyes?” 

“ I cannot help weeping,” she replied; “ for be¬ 
cause I have two eyes, like other people, my mother 
and sisters cannot bear me; they push me about 
from one corner to another and make we wear their 
old clothes, and give me nothing to eat but what is 
left, so that I am always hungry. To-day they gave 
me so little that I am nearly starved.” 

“ Dry up your tears, little Two Eyes,” said the 
wise woman; “ I will tell you something to do 
which will prevent you from ever being hungry 
again. You have only to say to your own goat: 

44 4 Little goat, if you’re able, 

Pray deck out my table,’ 

and immediately there will be a pretty little table 
before you full of all sorts of good things for you 
to eat, as much as you like. And when you have 
had enough, and you do not want the table any 
more, you need only say: 

44 4 Little goat, when you’re able, 

Remove my nice table,’ 

and it will vanish from your eyes.” 

Then the wise woman went away. 44 Now,” 
thought little Two Eyes, 44 1 will try if what she 
says is true, for I am very hungry,” so she said: 

44 Little goat, if you’re able, 

Pray deck out my table.” 

The words were scarcely spoken, when a beauti- 


3 


One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes 

ful little table stood really before her; it had a white 
cloth and plates, and knives and forks, and silver 
spoons, and such a delicious dinner, smoking hot 
as if it had just come from the kitchen. Then little 
Two Eyes sat down and said the shortest grace she 
knew—“ Pray God be our guest for all time. 
Amen ”—before she allowed herself to taste any¬ 
thing. But oh, how she did enjoy her dinner! and 
when she had finished, she said, as the wise woman 
had taught her: 

“ Little goat, when you’re able, 

Remove my nice table.” 

In a moment, the table and everything upon it had 
disappeared. “ That is a pleasant way to keep 
house,” said little Two Eyes, and felt quite con¬ 
tented and happy. In the evening, when she went 
home with the goat, she found an earthenware dish 
with some scraps which her sisters had left for her, 
but she did not touch them. The next morning she 
went away with the goat, leaving them behind 
where they had been placed for her. The first and 
second times that she did so, the sisters did not 
notice it; but when they found it happened every 
day, they said one to the other, “ There is something 
strange about little Two Eyes, she leaves her sup¬ 
per every day, and all that has been put for her has 
been wasted; she must get food somewhere else.” 

So they determined to find out the truth, and they 
arranged that when Two Eyes took her goat to the 
field, One Eye should go with her to take particular 
notice of what she did, and discover if anything 
was brought for her to eat and drink. 


4 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

So when Two Eyes started with her goat, One 
Eye said to her, “ I am going with you to-day to 
see if the goat gets her food properly while you are 
watching the rest/' 

But Two Eyes knew what she had in her mind. 
So she drove the goat into the long grass, and said, 
“ Come, One Eye, let us sit down here and rest, and 
I will sing to you.” 

One Eye seated herself, and, not being accus¬ 
tomed to walk so far, or to be out in the heat of 
the sun, she began to feel tired, and as little Two 
Eyes kept on singing, she closed her one eye and 
fell fast asleep. 

When Two Eyes saw this, she knew that One 
Eye could not betray her, so she said: 

“ Little goat, if you are able, 

Come and deck my pretty table.” 

She seated herself when it appeared, and ate and 
drank very quickly, and when she had finished she 
said: 

“ Little goat, when you are able, 

Come and clear away my table.” 

It vanished in the twinkling of an eye; and then 
Two Eyes woke up One Eye, and said, “ Little One 
Eye, you are a clever one to watch goats; for, while 
you are asleep, they might be running all over the 
world. Come, let us go home! ” 

So they went to the house, and little Two Eyes 
again left the scraps on the dish untouched, and 
One Eye could not tell her mother whether little 
Two Eyes had eaten anything in the field; for she 
said to excuse herself, “ I was asleep.” 


5 


One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes 

The next day the mother said to Three Eyes, 
“ You must go to the field this time, and find out 
whether there is anyone who brings food to little 
Two Eyes; for she must eat and drink secretly.” 

So when little Two Eyes started with her goat, 
Three Eyes followed, and said, “ I am going with 
you to-day, to see if the goats are properly fed and 
watched.” 

But Two Eyes knew her thoughts; so she led the 
goat through the long grass to tire Three Eyes, and 
at last she said, “ Let us sit down here and rest, 
and I will sing to you, Three Eyes.” 

She was glad to sit down, for the walk and the 
heat of the sun had really tired her; and, as her 
sister continued her song, she was obliged to close 
two of her eyes, and they slept, but not the third. 
In fact, Three Eyes was wide awake with one eye, 
and heard and saw all that Two Eyes did; for poor 
little Two Eyes, thinking she was asleep, said her 
speech to the goat, and the table came with all the 
good things on it, and was carried away when Two 
Eyes had eaten enough; and the cunning Three 
Eyes saw it all with her one eye. But she pre¬ 
tended to be asleep when her sister came to wake 
her and told her she was going home. 

That evening, when little Two Eyes again left 
the supper they placed aside for her, Three Eyes 
said to her mother, “ I know where the proud thing 
gets her good eating and drinking; ” and then she 
described all she had seen in the field. “ I saw it 
all with one eye,” she said; “ for she had made my 
other two eyes close with her fine singing, but 
luckily the ope in my forehead remained open.” 


6 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

Then the envious mother cried out to poor little 
Two Eyes, “ You wish to have better food than we, 
do you? You shall lose your wish! ” She took up 
a butcher’s knife, went out, and stuck the good 
little goat in the heart, and it fell dead. 

When little Two Eyes saw this, she went out into 
the field, seated herself on a mound, and wept most 
bitter tears. 

Presently the wise woman stood again before her, 
and said, '‘Little Two Eyes, why do you weep?” 

“ Ah! ” she replied, “ I must weep. The goat, 
who every day spread my table so beautifully, has 
been killed by my mother, and I shall have again to 
suffer from hunger and sorrow.” 

“ Little Two Eyes,” said the wise woman, “ I 
will give you some good advice. Go home, and ask 
your sister to give you the inside of the slaughtered 
goat, and then go and bury it in the ground in front 
of the house-door.” 

On saying this the wise woman vanished. 

Little Two Eyes went home quickly, and said to 
her sister, “ Dear sister, give me some part of my 
poor goat. I don’t want anything valuable; only 
give me the inside.” 

Her sister laughed, and said, “ Of course you can 
have that, if you don’t want anything else.” 

So little Two Eyes took the inside; and in the 
evening, when all was quiet, buried it in the ground 
outside the house-door, as the wise woman had told 
her to do. 

The next morning, when they all rose and looked 
out of the window, there stood a most wonderful 
tree, with leaves of silver and apples of gold hang- 


One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes 7 

ing between them. Nothing in the wide world 
could be more beautiful or more costly. They none 
of them knew how the tree could come there in one 
night, excepting little Two Eyes. She supposed it 
had grown up from the inside of the goat; for it 
stood over where she had buried it in the earth. 

Then said the mother to little One Eye, “ Climb 
up, my child, and break off some of the fruit from 
the tree.” 

One Eye climbed up, but when she tried to catch 
a branch and pluck one of the apples, it escaped 
from her hand, and so it happened every time she 
made the attempt, and, do what she would, she 
could not reach one. 

“ Three Eyes,” said the mother, “ climb up, and 
try what you can do; perhaps you will be able to 
see better with your three eyes than One Eye can.” 

One Eye slid down from the tree, and Three Eyes 
climbed up. But Three Eyes was not more skilful; 
with all her efforts she could not draw the branches, 
nor the fruit, near enough to pluck even a leaf, for 
they sprang back as she put out her hand. 

At last the mother was impatient, and climbed up 
herself, but with no more success, for, as she ap¬ 
peared to grasp a branch, or fruit, her hand closed 
upon thin air. 

“ May I try? ” said little Two Eyes; “ perhaps I 
may succeed.” 

“ You, indeed ! ” cried her sisters; “ you, with 
your two eyes, what can you do ? ” 

But Two Eyes climbed up, and the golden apples 
did not fly back from her when she touched them, 
but almost laid themselves on her hand, and she 


8 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

plucked them one after another, till she carried 
down her own little apron full. 

The mother took them from her, and gave them 
to her sisters, as she said little Two Eyes did not 
handle them properly; but this was only from jeal¬ 
ousy, because little Two Eyes was the only one who 
could reach the fruit, and she went into the house 
feeling more spiteful to her than ever. 

It happened that while all three sisters were 
standing under the tree together a young knight 
rode by. “ Run away, quick, and hide yourself, 
little Two Eyes; hide yourself somewhere, for we 
shall be quite ashamed for you to be seen.” Then 
they pushed the poor girl, in great haste, under an 
empty cask, which stood near the tree, and several 
of the golden apples that she had plucked along 
with her. 

As the knight came nearer they saw he was a 
handsome man; and presently he halted, and looked 
with wonder and pleasure at the beautiful tree with 
its silver leaves and golden fruit. 

At last he spoke to the sisters, and asked: “ To 
whom does this beautiful tree belong? If a man 
possessed only one branch he might obtain all he 
wished for in the world.” 

“ This tree belongs to us,” said the two sisters, 
“ and we will break off a branch for you if you 
like.” They gave themselves a great deal of trouble 
in trying to do as they offered; but all to no pur¬ 
pose, for the branches and the fruit evaded their 
efforts, and sprung back at every touch. 

“ This is wonderful,” exclaimed the knight, 


One Eye, Two Eyes, Three Eyes g 

“ that the tree should belong to you, and yet you are 
not able to gather even a branch.” 

They persisted, however, in declaring that the 
tree was their own property. At this moment little 
Two Eyes, who was angry because her sisters had 
not told the truth, caused two of the golden apples 
to slip out from under the cask, and they rolled on 
till they reached the feet of the knight’s horse. 
When he saw them, he asked in astonishment where 
they came from. 

The two ugly maidens replied that they had an¬ 
other sister, but they dared not let him see her, for 
she had only two eyes, like common people, and was 
named little Two Eyes. 

But the knight felt very anxious to see her, and 
called out, “ Little Two Eyes, come here.” Then 
came Two Eyes, quite comforted, from the empty 
cask, and the knight was astonished to find her so 
beautiful. 

Then he said, “ Little Two Eyes, can you break 
off a branch of the tree for me ? ” 

“ Oh yes,” she replied, “ I can, very easily, for 
the tree belongs to me.” And she climbed up, and, 
without any trouble, broke of? a branch with its 
silver leaves and golden fruit and gave it to the 
knight. 

He looked down at her as she stood by his horse, 
and said: “ Little Two Eyes, what shall I give you 
for this?” 

“ Ah! ” she answered, “ I suffer from hunger 
and thirst, and sorrow, and trouble, from early 
morning till late at night; if you'would only take 
me with you, and release me, I should be so happy.” 


io Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

Then the knight lifted the little maiden on his 
horse, and rode home with her to his father’s castle. 
There she was given beautiful clothes to wear, and 
as much to eat and drink as she wished, and as she 
grew up the young knight loved her so dearly that 
they were married with great rejoicings. 

Now, when the two sisters saw little Two Eyes 
carried away by the handsome young knight, they 
were overjoyed at their good fortune. “ The won¬ 
derful tree belongs to us now,” they said; “ even if 
we cannot break off a branch, yet everybody who 
passes will stop to admire it, and make acquaintance 
with us, and, who knows? we may get husbands 
after all.” 

But when they rose the next morning, lo ! the 
tree had vanished, and with it all their hopes. And 
on this very morning, when little Two Eyes looked 
out of her chamber window of the castle, she saw, 
to her great joy, that the tree had followed her. 

Little Two Eyes lived for a long time in great 
happiness; but she heard nothing of her sisters, till 
one day two poor women came to the castle, to beg 
for alms. Little Two Eyes saw them, and, looking 
earnestly in their faces, she recognised her two 
sisters, who had become so poor that they were 
obliged to beg their bread from door to door. 

But the good sister received them most kindly, 
and promised to take care of them and give them 
all they wanted. And then they did indeed repent 
and feel sorry for having treated her so badly in 
their youthful days. 


CHAPTER II 


THE MAGIC MIRROR 

One day in the middle of winter, when the snow¬ 
flakes fell from the sky like feathers, a queen sat at 
a window netting. Her netting-needle was of black 
ebony, and as she worked, and the snow glittered, 
she pricked her finger, and three drops of blood fell 
into the snow. The red spots looked so beautiful 
in the white snow that the queen thought to herself: 

“ Oh, if I only had a little child, I should like it 
to be as fair as snow, as rosy as the red blood, and 
with hair and eyes as black as ebony.” 

Very soon after this the queen had a little 
daughter who was very fair, had rosy cheeks, and 
hair as black as ebony; and they gave her the name 
of Snow-white. But at the birth of the little child 
the queen died. 

When Snow-white was a year old, the king took 
another wife. She was very handsome, but so 
proud and vain that she could not endure that any¬ 
one should surpass her in beauty. She possessed a 
wonderful mirror, and when she stood before it to 
look at herself she would say: 

“ Mirror, mirror on the wall, 

Am I most beautiful of all ? ” 


12 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

Then the mirror would reply: 

“ Young queen, thou art so wondrous fair. 
None can with thee at all compare.” 

Then she would go away quite contented, for 
she knew the magic mirror could speak only the 
truth. 

Years went by, and as Snow-white grew up, she 
became day after day more beautiful, till she 
reached the age of seven years, and then people 
began to talk about her, and say that she would be 
more lovely even than the queen herself. So the 
proud woman went to her magic looking-glass, and 
asked: 

“ Mirror, mirror on the wall, 

Am I most beautiful of all ? ” 

But the mirror answered: 

“ Queen, thou are lovely still to see, 

But Snow-white will be 

A thousand times more beautiful than thee.” 

Then the queen was terrified, and turned green 
and yellow with jealousy. If she had caught sight 
of Snow-white at that moment, she would have been 
ready to tear her heart out of her body, she hated 
the maiden so fiercely. 

And this jealousy and envy grew every day 
stronger and stronger in her heart, like a disease, 
till she had no rest day or night. 

At last she sent for a hunter, who lived near a 
forest, and said to him, “ Hunter, I want to get rid 
of that child. Take her out into the wood, and if 
you bring me some proofs that she is dead, I will 


The Magic Mirror 


13 


reward you handsomely. Never let her appear be¬ 
fore my eyes again.” 

So the hunter enticed the child into the wood; but 
when he took out his hunting-knife to thrust into 
Snow-white’s innocent heart, she fell on her knees 
and wept, and said, “ Ah, dear hunter, leave me my 
life; I will run away into the wild wood, and never, 
never come home any more.” 

She looked so innocent and beautiful as she knelt, 
that the hunter’s heart was moved with compas¬ 
sion : “ Run away, then, thou poor child,” he cried; 
“ I cannot harm thee.” 

Snow-white thanked him so sweetly, and was out 
of sight in a few moments. 

“ She will be devoured by wild beasts,” he said 
to himself. But the thought that he had not killed 
her was as if a stone-weight had been lifted from 
his heart. 

To satisfy the queen, he took part of the inside of 
a young fawn, which the wicked woman thought 
was poor little Snow-white, and was overjoyed to 
think she was dead. 

But the poor little motherless child, when she 
found herself alone in the wood, and saw nothing 
but trees and leaves, was dreadfully frightened, and 
knew not what to do. At last she began to run 
over the sharp stones and through the thorns, and 
though the wild beasts sprang out before her, they 
did her no harm. She ran on as long a? she could, 
till her little feet became quite sore; and towards 
evening she saw, to her great joy, a pretty little 
house. So she went up to it, and found the door 
open and no one at home. 


14 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 


It was a tiny little house, but everything in it was 
so clean and neat and elegant that it is beyond de¬ 
scription. In the middle of the room stood a small 
table, covered with a snow-white table-cloth, ready 
for supper. On it were arranged seven little plates, 
seven little spoons, seven little knives and forks, 
and seven mugs. By the wall stood seven little 
beds, near each other, covered with white quilts. 

Poor Snow-white, who was hungry and thirsty, 
ate a few vegetables and a little bread from each 
plate, and drank a little drop of wine from each cup, 
for she did not like to take all she wanted from one 
alone. After this, feeling very tired, she thought 
she would lie down and rest on one of the beds, but 
she found it difficult to choose one to suit her. One 
was too long, another too short; so she tried them 
all till she came to the seventh, and that was so com¬ 
fortable that she laid herself down, and was soon 
fast asleep. 

When it was quite dark the masters of the house 
came home. They were seven little dwarfs, who 
dug and searched in the mountains for minerals. 
First they lighted seven little lamps, and as soon as 
the room was full of light they saw that some one 
had been there, for everything did not stand in the 
order in which they had left it. 

Then said the first, “ Who has been sitting in my 
little chair? ” 

The second exclaimed, “ Who has been eating 
from my little plate ? ” 

The third cried, “ Some one has taken part of 
my bread.” 


1 S 


The Magic Mirror 

“ Who has been eating my vegetables ? ” said the 
fourth. 

Then said the fifth, “ Some one has used my 
fork.” 

The sixth c*ied, “ And who has been cutting with 
my knife ? ” 

“ And some one has been drinking out of my 
cup,” said the seventh. 

Then the eldest looked at his bed, and, seeing that 
it looked tumbled, cried out that some one had been 
upon it. The others came running forward, and 
found all their beds in the same condition. But 
when the seventh approached his bed, and saw 
Snow-white lying there fast asleep, he called the 
others, who came quickly, and holding their lights 
over their heads, cried out in wonder as they beheld 
the sleeping child. “ Oh, what a beautiful little 
child! ” they said to each other, and were so de¬ 
lighted that they would not awaken her, but left her 
to sleep as long as she liked in the little bed, while 
its owner slept with one of his companions, and so 
the night passed away. 

In the morning, when Snow-white awoke, and 
saw all the dwarfs, she was terribly frightened. 
But they spoke kindly to her, till she lost all fear, 
and they asked her name. 

“ I am called Snow-white,” she replied. 

“ But how came you to our house ? ” asked one. 

Then she related to them all that had happened; 
how her stepmother had sent her into the wood with 
the hunter, who had spared her life, and that, after 
wandering about for a whole day, she had found 
their house. 


16 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

The dwarfs talked a little while together, and 
then one said, “ Do you think you could be our little 
housekeeper, to make the beds, cook the dinner, and 
wash and sew and knit for us, and keep everything 
neat and clean and orderly? If you can, then you 
shall stay here with us, and nobody shall hurt you.” 

“ Oh yes, I will try/’ said Snow-white. So they 
let her stay, and she was a clever little thing. She 
managed very well, and kept the house quite clean 
and in order. And while they were gone to the 
mountains to find gold, she got their supper ready, 
and they were very happy together. 

But every morning when they left her, the kind 
little dwarfs warned Snow-white to be careful. 
While the maiden was alone they knew she was in 
danger, and told her not to show herself, for her 
stepmother would soon find out where she was, and 
said, “ Whatever you do, let nobody into the house 
while we are gone.” 

After the wicked queen had proved, as she 
thought, that Snow-white was dead, she felt quite 
satisfied there was no one in the world now likely 
to become so beautiful as herself, so she stepped up 
to her mirror and asked: 

“ Mirror, mirror on the wall, 

Who is most beautiful of all?” 

To her vexation the mirror replied: 

“ Fair queen, at home there is none like thee, 

But over the mountains is Snow-white free, 

With seven little dwarfs, who are strange to see; 

A thousand times fairer than thou is she.” 


The Magic Mirror 


i7 


The queen was furious when she heard this, for 
she knew the mirror was truthful, and that the 
hunter must have deceived her, and that Snow- 
white still lived. So she sat and pondered over 
these facts, thinking what would be best to do, for 
as long as she was not the most beautiful woman 
in the land, her jealousy gave her no peace. After 
a time, she decided what to do. First, she painted 
her face, and whitened her hair; then she dressed 
herself in old woman’s clothes, and was so dis¬ 
guised that no one could have recognised her. 

Watching an opportunity, she left the castle, and 
took her way to the wood near the mountains, 
where the seven little dwarfs lived. When she 
reached the door, she knocked, and cried, “ Beauti¬ 
ful goods to sell; beautiful goods to sell.” 

Snow-white, when she heard it, peeped through 
the window, and said, “ Good-day, old lady. What 
have you in your basket for me to buy? ” 

“ Everything that is pretty,” she replied; “ laces, 
and pearls, and earrings, and bracelets of every 
colour; ” and she held up her basket, which was 
lined with glittering silk. 

“ I can let in this respectable old woman,” 
thought Snow-white; “ she will not harm me.” So 
she unbolted the door, and told her to come in. Oh, 
how delighted Snow-white was with the pretty 
things; she bought several trinkets, and a beautiful 
silk lace for her stays, but she did not see the evil 
eye of the old woman who \yas watching her. Pres¬ 
ently she said, “ Child, come here; I will show you 
how to lace your stays properly.” Snow-white had 
no suspicion, so she placed herself before the old 


18 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

woman that she might lace her stays. But no sooner 
was the lace in the holes than she began to lace so 
fast and pull so tight that Snow-white could not 
breathe, and presently fell down at her feet as if 
dead. 

“ Now you are beautiful indeed,” said the woman, 
and, fancying she heard footsteps, she rushed away 
as quickly as she could. 

Not long after, the seven dwarfs came home, and 
they were terribly frightened to see dear little 
Snow-white lying on the ground without motion, 
as if she were dead. They lifted her up, and saw 
in a moment that her stays had been laced too tight. 
Quickly they cut the stay-lace in two, till Snow- 
white began to breathe a little, and after a time was 
restored to life. But when the dwarfs heard what 
had happened, they said: “ That old market-woman 
was no other than your wicked stepmother. Snow- 
white, you must never again let anyone in while we 
are not with you.” 

The wicked queen when she returned home, after, 
as she thought, killing Snow-white, went to her 
looking-glass and asked: 

“ Mirror, mirror on the wall, 

Am I most beautiful of all?” 

Then answered the mirror: 

“ Queen, thou art not the fairest now; 
Snow-white over the mountain’s brow 
A thousand times fairer is than thou.” 

When she heard this she was so terrified that the 
blood rushed to her heart, for she knew that after 


The Magic Mirror 


19 


all she had done Snow-white was still alive. “ I 
must think of something else/’ she said to herself, 
“ to get rid of that odious child.” 

Now this wicked queen had some knowledge of 
witchcraft, and she knew how to poison a comb, so 
that whoever used it would fall dead. This the 
wicked stepmother soon got ready, and dressing 
herself again like an old woman, but quite different 
from the last, she started off to travel over the 
mountains to the dwarfs' cottage. 

When Snow-white heard the old cry, “ Goods to 
sell, fine goods to sell,” she looked out of the window 
and said: 

“ Go away, go away; I must not let you in.” 

“ Look at this, then,” said the woman; “ you 
shall have it for your own if you like,” and she held 
up before the child’s eyes the bright tortoise-shell 
comb which she had poisoned. 

Poor Snow-white could not refuse such a present, 
so she opened the door and let the woman in, quite 
forgetting the advice of the dwarfs. After she had 
bought a few things, the old woman said, “ Let me 
try this comb in your hair; it is so fine it will make 
it beautifully smooth and glossy.” 

So Snow-white, thinking no wrong, stood before 
the woman to have her hair dressed; but no sooner 
had the comb touched the roots of her hair than the 
poison took effect, and the maiden fell to the ground 
lifeless. 

“ You paragon of beauty,” said the wicked 
woman, “ all has just happened as I expected,” and 
then she went away quickly. 

Fortunately evening soon arrived, and the seven 


20 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

dwarfs returned home. When they saw Snow- 
white lying dead on the ground, they knew at once 
that the stepmother had been there again; but on 
seeing the poisoned comb in her hair they pulled it 
out quickly, and Snow-white very soon came to her¬ 
self, and related all that had passed. 

Again they warned her not to let anyone enter 
the house during their absence, and on no account 
to open the door; but Snow-white was not clever 
enough to resist her clever wicked stepmother, and 
she forgot to obey. 

The wicked queen felt sure now that she had 
really killed Snow-white; so as soon as she returned 
home she went to her looking-glass, and inquired: 

“ Mirror, mirror on the wall, 

Who is most beautiful of all ? 

But the mirror replied: 

“ Queen, thou art the fairest here, 

But not when Snow-white is near; 

Over the mountains still is she, 

Fairer a thousand times than thee.” 

As the looking-glass thus replied, the queen 
trembled and quaked with rage. “ SnOw-white shall 
die,” cried she, “ if it costs me my own life! ” 

Then she went into a lonely forbidden chamber 
where no one was allowed to come, and poisoned a 
beautiful apple. Outwardly it looked ripe and 
tempting, of a pale green with rosy cheeks, so that 
it made everyone’s mouth water to look at it, but 
whoever ate even a small piece must die. 

As soon as this apple was ready, the wicked queen 


The Magic Mirror 


21 


painted her face, disguised her hair, dressed herself 
as a farmer’s wife, and went again over the mount¬ 
ains to the dwarfs’ cottage. 

When she knocked at the door, Snow-white 
stretched her head out of the window, and said, “ I 
dare not let you in; the seven dwarfs have for¬ 
bidden me.” 

“ But I am all right,” said the farmer’s wife. 
“ Stay, I will show you my apples. Are they not 
beautiful? let me make you a present of one.” 

“ No, thank you,” cried Snow-white; “ I dare not 
take it.” 

“ What! ” cried the woman, “ are you afraid it 
is poisoned? Look here now, I will cut the apple 
in halves; you shall have the rosy-cheek side, and 
I will eat the other.” 

The apple was so cleverly made that the red 
side alone was poisonous. Snow-white longed so 
much for the beautiful fruit as she saw the farmer’s 
wife eat one half that she could not any longer 
resist, but stretched out her hand from the window 
and took the poisoned half. But no sooner had she 
taken one mouthful than she fell on the ground 
dead. 

Then the wicked queen glanced in at the window 
with a horrible look in her eye, and laughed aloud 
as she exclaimed: 

“ White as snow, red as blood, and black as 
ebony; this time the dwarfs will not be able to 
awake thee.” 

And as soon as she arrived at home, and asked 
her mirror who was the most beautiful in the land, 
it replied: 


22 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

“ Fair queen, there is none in all the land 
So beautiful as thou.” 

Then had her envious heart rest, at least such rest 
as a heart full of envy and malice ever can have. 

The little dwarfs, when they came home in the 
evening, found poor Snow-white on the ground; 
but though they lifted her up, there were no signs 
of breath from her mouth, and they found she was 
really dead. Yet they tried in every way to restore 
her; they tried to extract the poison from her lips, 
they combed her hair, and washed it with wine and 
water, but all to no purpose: the dear child gave no 
signs of life, and at last they knew she was dead. 
Then they laid her on a bier, and the seven dwarfs 
seated themselves round her, and wept and mourned 
for three days. They would have buried her then, 
but there was no change in her appearance; her face 
was as fresh, and her cheeks and lips had their usual 
colour. Then said one, “We cannot lay this beauti¬ 
ful child in the dark, cold earth.” 

So they agreed to have a coffin made entirely of 
glass, transparent all over, that they might watch 
for any signs of decay, and they wrote in letters of 
gold her name on the lid, and that she was the 
daughter of a king. The coffin was placed on the 
side of the mountain, and each of them watched it 
by turns, so that it was never left alone. And the 
birds of the air came near and mourned for Snow- 
white; first the owl, then the raven, and at last the 
dove. Snow-white lay for a long, long time in the 
glass coffin, but showed not the least signs of decay. 
It seemed as if she slept; for her skin was snow 


The Magic Mirror 23 

white, her cheeks rosy red, and her hair black as 
ebony. 

It happened one day that the son of a king, while 
riding in the forest, came by chance upon the 
dwarfs’ house and asked for a night’s lodging. As 
he left the next morning he saw the coffin on the 
mountain-side, with beautiful Snow-white lying in 
it, and read what was written upon the lid in letters 
of gold. 

Then he said to the dwarfs, “ Let me have this 
coffin, and I will give you for it whatever you ask.” 

But the elder dwarf answered, “ We would not 
give it thee for all the gold in the world.” 

But the prince answered, “ Let me have it as a 
gift, then. I know not why, but my heart is drawn 
towards this beautiful child, and I feel I cannot live 
without her. If you will let me have her, she shall 
be treated with the greatest honour and respect as 
one dearly beloved.” 

As he thus spoke the good little dwarfs were full 
of sympathy for him, and gave him the coffin. Then 
the prince called his servants, and the coffin was 
placed on their shoulders, and they carried it away, 
followed by the king’s son, who watched it care¬ 
fully. Now it happened that one of them made a 
false step and stumbled. This shook the coffin, and 
caused the poisoned piece of apple which Snow- 
white had bitten to roll out of her mouth. A little 
while after she suddenly opened her eyes, lifted up 
the coffin-lid, raised herself and was again alive. 

“ Oh! where am I ? ” she cried. 

Full of joy, the king’s son approached her, and 


24 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

said, “ Dear Snow-white, you are safe; you are with 
>> 

me. 

Then he related to her all that had happened, and 
what the little dwarfs had told him about her, and 
said at last, “ I love you better than all in the world 
besides, dear little Snow-white, and you must come 
with me to my father’s castle and be my wife.” 

Then was Snow-white taken out of the coffin and 
placed in a carriage to travel with the prince, and 
the king was so pleased with his son’s choice that 
the marriage was soon after celebrated with great 
pomp and magnificence. 

Now it happened that the stepmother of Snow- 
white was invited, among other guests, to the wed¬ 
ding-feast. Before she left her house she stood in 
all her rich dress before the magic mirror to admire 
her own appearance, but she could not help saying: 

“ Mirror, mirror on the wall, 

Am I most beautiful of all? ” 

Then to her surprise the mirror replied: 

“ Fair queen, thou art the fairest here. 

But at the palace, now, 

The bride will prove a thousand times 
More beautiful than thou.” 

Then the wicked woman uttered a curse, and was 
so dreadfully alarmed that she knew not what to do. 
At first she declared she would not go to this wed¬ 
ding at all, but she felt it impossible to rest until 
she had seen the bride, so she determined to go. 
But what was her astonishment and vexation when 


The Magic Mirror 


25 


she recognised in the young bride Snow-white her¬ 
self, now grown a charming young woman, and 
richly dressed in royal robes! Her rage and terror 
were so great that she stood still and could not move 
for some minutes. At last she went into the ball¬ 
room, but the slippers she wore were to her as iron 
bands full of coals of fire, in which she was obliged 
to dance. And so in the red, glowing shoes she 
continued to dance till she fell dead on the floor, a 
sad example of envy and jealousy. 


CHAPTER III 


THE ENCHANTED STAG 

There were once a brother and sister who loved 
each other dearly; their mother was dead, and their 
father had married again a woman who was most 
unkind and cruel to them. One day the boy took 
his sister’s hand, and said to her, “ Dear little sister, 
since our mother died we have not had one happy 
hour. Our stepmother gives us dry hard crusts 
for dinner and supper; she often knocks us about, 
and threatens to kick us out of the house. Even 
the little dogs under the table fare better than we do, 
for she often throws them nice pieces to eat. 
Heaven pity us! Oh, if our dear mother knew! 
Come, let us go out into the wide world! ” 

So they went out, and wandered over fields and 
meadows the whole day till evening. At last they 
found themselves in a large forest; it began to rain, 
and the little sister said, “ See, brother, heaven and 
our hearts weep together.” At last, tired out with 
hunger and sorrow, and the long journey, they 
crept into a hollow tree, laid themselves down, and 
slept till morning. 

When they awoke the sun was high in the 
heavens, and shone brightly into the hollow tree, so 
they left their place of shelter and wandered away 
in search of water. 


The Enchanted Stag 


27 


“ Oh, I am so thirsty! ” said the boy. “ If we 
could only find a brook or a stream.” He stopped 
to listen, and said, “ Stay, I think I hear a running 
stream.” So he took his sister by the hand, and 
they ran together to find it. 

Now, the stepmother of these poor children was 
a wicked witch. She had seen the children go away, 
and, following them cautiously like a snake, had be¬ 
witched all the springs and streams in the forest. 
The pleasant trickling of a brook over the pebbles 
was heard by the children as they reached it, and 
the boy was just stooping to drink, when the sister 
heard in the babbling of the brook: 

“ Whoever drinks of me, a tiger soon will be.” 

Then she cried quickly, “ Stay, brother, stay! do 
not drink, or you will become a wild beast, and tear 
me to pieces.” 

Thirsty as he was, the brother conquered his 
desire to drink at her words, and said, “ Dear sister, 
I will wait till we come to a spring.” So they 
wandered farther, but as they approached, she heard 
in the bubbling spring the words— 

“ Who drinks of me, a wolf will be.” 

“ Brother, I pray you, do not drink of this brook; 
you will be changed into a wolf, and devour me.” 

Again the brother denied himself and promised to 
wait; but he said, “ At the next stream I must drink, 
say what you will, my thirst is so great.” 

Not far off ran a pretty streamlet, looking clear 


28 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

and bright; but here also in its murmuring waters, 
the sister heard the words— 

“ Who dares to drink of me, 

Turned to a stag will be.” 

“Dear brother, do not drink,” she began; but 
she was too late, for her brother had already knelt 
by the stream to drink, and as the first drop of water 
touched his lips he became a fawn. How the little 
sister wept over the enchanted brother, and the 
fawn wept also. 

He did not run away, but stayed close to her; 
and at last she said, “ Stand still, dear fawn; don’t 
fear, I must take care of you, but I will never leave 
you.” So she untied her little golden garter and 
fastened it round the neck of the fawn; then she 
gathered some soft green rushes, and braided them 
into a soft string, which she fastened to the fawn’s 
golden collar, and then led him away into the depths 
of the forest. 

After wandering about for some time, they at 
last found a little deserted hut, and the sister was 
overjoyed, for she thought it would form a nice 
shelter for them both. So she led the fawn in, and 
then went out alone, to gather moss and dried leaves, 
to make him a soft bed. 

Every morning she went out to gather dried 
roots, nuts, and berries, for her own food, and 
sweet fresh grass for the fawn, which he ate out of 
her hand, and the poor little animal went out with 
her, and played about as happy as the day was long. 

When evening came, and the poor sister felt tired, 


The Enchanted Stag 


29 


she would kneel down and say her prayers, and then 
lay her delicate head on the fawn’s back, which was 
a soft warm pillow, on which she could sleep peace¬ 
fully. Had this dear brother only kept his own 
proper form, how happy they would have been to¬ 
gether ! After they had been alone in the forest for 
some time, and the little sister had grown a lovely 
maiden, and the fawn a large stag, a numerous hunt¬ 
ing party came to the forest, and amongst them the 
king of the country. 

The sounding horn, the barking of the dogs, the 
holloa of the huntsmen, resounded through the for¬ 
est, and were heard by the stag, who became eager 
to join his companions. 

“ Oh dear,” he said, “ do let me go and see the 
hunt; I cannot restrain myself.” And he begged 
so hard that at last she reluctantly consented. 

“ But remember,” she said, “ I must lock the cot¬ 
tage door against those huntsmen, so when you 
come back in the evening, and knock, I shall not 
admit you, unless you say, “ Dear little sister let me 
in.” 

He bounded off as she spoke, scarcely stopping to 
listen, for it was so delightful for him to breathe 
the fresh air and be free again. 

He had not run far when the king’s chief hunter 
caught sight of the beautiful animal, and started off 
in chase of him; but it was no easy matter to over¬ 
take such rapid footsteps. Once, when he thought 
he had him safe, the fawn sprang over the bushes 
and disappeared. 

As it was now nearly dark, he ran up to the little 
cottage, knocked at the door, and cried, “ Dear little 


30 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

sister, let me in.” The door was instantly opened, 
and oh, how glad his sister was to see him safely 
resting on his soft pleasant bed! 

A few days after this, the huntsmen were again 
in the forest; and when the fawn heard the holloa, 
he could not rest in peace, but begged his sister 
again to let him go. 

She opened the door, and said, “ I will let you go 
this time; but pray do not forget to say what I told 
you, when you return this evening.” 

The chief hunter very soon espied the beautiful 
fawn with the golden collar, pointed it out to the 
king, and they determined to hunt it. 

They chased him with all their skill till the even¬ 
ing; but he was too light and nimble for them to 
catch, till a shot wounded him slightly in the foot, 
so that he was obliged to hide himself in the bushes, 
and, after the huntsmen were gone, limp slowly 
home. 

One of them, however, determined to follow him 
at a distance, and discover where he went. What 
was his surprise at seeing him go up to a door and 
knock, and to hear him say, “ Dear little sister, let 
me in.” The door was only opened a little way, 
and quickly shut; but the huntsman had seen enough 
to make him full of wonder, when he returned and 
described to the king what he had seen. 

“ We will have one more chase to-morrow,” said 
the king, “ and discover this mystery.” 

In the meantime the loving sister was terribly 
alarmed at finding the stag’s foot wounded and 
bleeding. She quickly washed off the blood, and, 
after bathing the wound, placed healing herbs on it, 



The Enchanted Stag 


3i 


and said, “ Lie down on your bed, dear fawn, and 
the wound will soon heal, if you rest your foot.” 

In the morning the wound was so much better 
that the fawn felt the foot almost as strong as ever, 
and so, when he again heard the holloa of the 
hunters, he could not rest. “ Oh, dear sister, I must 
go once more; it will be easy for me to avoid the 
hunters now, and my foot feels quite well; they 
will not hunt me unless they see me running, and I 
don’t mean to do that.” 

But his sister wept, and begged him not to go: 
“If they kill you, dear fawn, I shall be here alone 
in the forest, forsaken by the whole world.” 

“ And I shall die of grief,” he said, “ if I remain 
here listening to the hunter’s horn.” 

So at length his sister, with a heavy heart, set 
him free, and he bounded away joyfully into the 
forest. 

As soon as the king caught sight of him, he said 
to the huntsmen, “ Follow that stag about, but don’t 
hurt him.” So they hunted him all day, but at the 
approach of sunset the king said to the hunter who 
had followed the fawn the day before, “ Come and 
show me the little cottage.” 

So they went together, and when the king saw 
it he sent his companion home, and went on alone 
so quickly that he arrived there before the fawn; 
and, going up to the little door, knocked and said 
softly, “ Dear little sister, let me in.” 

As the door opened, the king stepped in, and in 
great astonishment saw a maiden more beautiful 
than he had ever seen in his life standing before 
him. But how frightened she felt to see instead of 


32 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

her dear little fawn a noble gentleman walk in with 
a gold crown on his head. 

However, he appeared very friendly, and after a 
little talk he held out his hand to her, and said, 
“ Wilt thou go with me to my castle and be my dear 
wife? ” 

“ Ah yes,” replied the maiden, “ I would will¬ 
ingly; but I cannot leave my dear fawn: he must 
go with me wherever I am.” 

“ He shall remain with you as long as you live,” 
replied the king, “ and I will never ask you to for¬ 
sake him.” 

While they were talking, the fawn came bound¬ 
ing in, looking quite well and happy. Then his 
sister fastened the string of rushes to his collar, 
took it in her hand, and led him away from the cot¬ 
tage in the wood to where the king’s beautiful horse 
waited for him. 

The king placed the maiden before him on his 
horse and rode away to his castle, the fawn follow¬ 
ing by their side. Soon after, their marriage was 
celebrated with great splendour, and the fawn was 
taken the greatest care of, and played where he 
pleased, or roamed about the castle grounds in hap¬ 
piness and safety. 

In the meantime the wicked stepmother, who had 
caused these two young people such misery, sup¬ 
posed that the sister had been devoured by wild 
beasts, and that the fawn had been hunted to death. 
Therefore when she heard of their happiness, such 
envy and malice arose in her heart that she could 
find no rest till she had tried to destroy it. 

She and her ugly daughter came to the castle 


The Enchanted Stag 


33 


when the queen had a little baby, and one of them 
pretended to be a nurse, and at last got the mother 
and child into their power. 

They shut the queen up in the bath, and tried to 
suffocate her, and the old woman put her own ugly 
daughter in the queen’s bed that the king might not 
know she was away. 

She would not, however, let him speak to her, 
but pretended that she must be kept quite quiet. 

The queen escaped from the bath-room, where 
the wicked old woman had locked her up, but she 
did not go far, as she wanted to watch over her 
child and the little fawn. 

For two nights the baby’s nurse saw a figure of 
the queen come into the room and take up her baby 
and nurse it. Then she told the king, and he deter¬ 
mined to watch himself. The old stepmother, who 
acted as nurse to her ugly daughter, whom she tried 
to make the king believe was his wife, had said that 
the queen was too weak to see him, and never left 
her room. “ There cannot be two queens,” said the 
king to himself, “ so to-night I will watch in the 
nursery.” As soon as the figure came in and took 
up her baby, he saw it was his real wife, and caught 
her in his arms, saying, “ You are my own beloved 
wife, as beautiful as ever.” 

The wicked witch had thrown her into a trance, 
hoping she would die, and that the king would then 
marry her daughter; but on the king speaking to 
her, the spell was broken. The queen told the king 
how cruelly she had been treated by her stepmother, 
and on hearing this he became very angry, and had 
the witch and her daughter brought to justice. 


3 


34 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

They were both sentenced to die—the daughter to 
be devoured by wild beasts, and the mother to be 
burnt alive. 

No sooner, however, was she reduced to ashes 
than the charm which held the queen’s brother in 
the form of a stag was broken; he recovered his 
own natural shape, and appeared before them a tall, 
handsome young man. 

After this, the brother and sister lived happily 
and peacefully for the rest of their lives. 




CHAPTER IV 


HANSEL AND GRETHEL 

Near the borders of a large forest dwelt in olden 
times a poor wood-cutter, who had two children—a 
boy named Hansel, and his sister, Grethel. They 
had very little to live upon, and once when there 
was a dreadful season of scarcity in the land, the 
poor woodcutter could not earn sufficient to supply 
their daily food. 

One evening, after the children were gone to bed, 
the parents sat talking together over their sorrow, 
and the poor husband sighed, and said to his wife, 
who was not the mother of his children, but their 
stepmother, “ What will become of us, for I can¬ 
not earn enough to support myself and you, much 
less the children? what shall we do with them, for 
they must not starve ? ” 

“ I know what to do, husband,” she replied; 
“ early to-morrow morning we will take the chil¬ 
dren for a walk across the forest and leave them 
in the thickest part; they will never find the way 
home again, you may depend, and then we shall 
only have to work for ourselves.” 

“ No, wife,” said the man, “ that I will never do. 
How could I have the heart to leave my children all 
alone in the wood, where the wild beasts would 
come quickly and devour them ? ” 


36 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

“ Oh, you fool,” replied the stepmother, “ if you 
refuse to do this, you know we must all four perish 
with hunger; you may as well go and cut the wood 
for our coffins.” And after this she let him have 
no peace till he became quite worn out, and could 
not sleep for hours, but lay thinking in sorrow about 
his children. 

The two children, who also were too hungry to 
sleep, heard all that their stepmother had said to 
their father. Poor little Grethel wept bitter tears 
as she listened, and said to her brother, “ What is 
going to happen to us, Hansel ? ” 

“ Hush, Grethel,” he whispered; “ don’t be so 
unhappy; I know what to do.” 

Then they lay quite still till their parents were 
asleep. 

As soon as it was quiet, Hansel got up, put on his 
little coat, unfastened the door, and slipped out. 
The moon shone brightly, and the white pebble 
stones which lay before the cottage door glistened 
like new silver money. Hansel stooped and picked 
up as many of the pebbles as he could stuff in his 
little coat pockets. He then went back to Grethel 
and said, “ Be comforted, dear little sister, and sleep 
in peace; heaven will take care of us.” Then he 
laid himself down again in bed, and slept till the 
day broke. 

As soon as the sun was risen, the stepmother 
came and woke the two children, and said, “ Get up, 
you lazy bones, and come into the wood with me to 
gather wood for the fire.” Then she gave each of 
them a piece of bread, and said, “ You must keep 


Hansel and Grethel 


37 


that to eat for your dinner, and don’t quarrel over 
it, for you will get nothing more.” 

Grethel took the bread under her charge, for 
Hansel’s pockets were full of pebbles. Then the 
stepmother led them a long way into the forest. 
They had gone but a very short distance when Han¬ 
sel looked back at the house, and this he did again 
and again. 

At last his stepmother said, “ Why do you keep 
staying behind and looking back so ? ” 

“ Oh, mother,” said the boy, “ I can see my little 
white cat sitting on the roof of the house, and I am 
sure she is crying for me.” 

“ Nonsense,” she replied; “ that is not your cat; 
it is the morning sun shining on the chimney-pot.” 

Hansel had seen no cat, but he stayed behind 
every time to drop a white pebble from his pocket 
on the ground as they walked. 

As soon as they reached a thick part of the wood, 
their stepmother said: 

“ Come, children, gather some wood, and I will 
make a fire, for it is very cold here.” 

Then Hansel and Grethel raised quite a high heap 
of brushwood and faggots, which soon blazed up 
into a bright fire, and the woman said to them: 

“ Sit down here, children, and rest, while I go 
and find your father, who is cutting wood in the 
forest; when we have finished our work, we will 
come again and fetch you.” 

Hansel and Grethel seated themselves by the fire, 
and when noon arrived they each ate the piece of 
bread which their stepmother had given them for 
their dinner; and as long as they heard the strokes 


38 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

of the axe they felt safe, for they believed that their 
father was working near them. But it was not an 
axe they heard—only a branch which still hung on 
a withered tree, and was moved up and down by the 
wind. At last, when they had been sitting there a 
long time, the children’s eyes became heavy with 
fatigue, and they fell fast asleep. When they awoke 
it was dark night, and poor Grethel began to cry, 
and said, “ Oh, how shall we get out of the wood ? ” 

But Hansel comforted her. “ Don’t fear,” he 
said; “ let us wait a little while till the moon rises, 
and then we shall easily find our way home.” 

Very soon the full moon rose, and then Hansel 
took his little sister by the hand, and the white 
pebble stones, which glittered like newly-coined 
money in the moonlight, and which Hansel had 
dropped as he walked, pointed out the way. They 
walked all the night through, and did not reach 
their father’s house till break of day. 

They knocked at the door, and when their step¬ 
mother opened it, she exclaimed: “ You naughty 
children, why have you been staying so long in the 
forest? we thought you were never coming back.” 
But their father was overjoyed to see them, for it 
grieved him to the heart to think that they had been 
left alone in the wood. 

Not long after this there came another time of 
scarcity and want in every house, and the children 
heard their stepmother. talking after they were in 
bed. “ The times are as bad as ever,” she said; 
“we have just half a loaf left, and when that is 
gone all love will be at an end. The children must 
go away; we will take them deeper into the forest 


Hansel and Grethel 


39 


this time, and they will not be able to find their way 
home as they did before; it is the only plan to save 
ourselves from starvation. But the husband felt 
heavy at heart, for he thought it was better to share 
the last morsel with his children. 

His wife would listen to nothing he said, but con¬ 
tinued to reproach him, and as he had given way to 
her the first time, he could not refuse to do so now. 
The children were awake, and heard all the con¬ 
versation; so, as soon as their parents slept, Han¬ 
sel got up, intending to go out and gather some 
more of the bright pebbles to let fall as he walked, 
that they might point out the way home; but his 
stepmother had locked the door, and he could not 
open it. When he went back to his bed he told his 
little sister not to fret, but to go to sleep in peace, 
for he was sure they would be taken care of. 

Early the next morning the stepmother came and 
pulled the children out of bed, and, when they were 
dressed, gave them each a piece of bread for their 
dinners, smaller than they had had before, and then 
they started on their way to the wood. 

As they walked, Hansel, who had the bread in 
his pocket, broke off little crumbs, and stopped every 
now and then to drop one, turning round as if he 
was looking back at his home. 

“ Hansel/' said the woman, “ what are you stop¬ 
ping for in that way? Come along directly/' 

“ I saw my pigeon sitting on the roof, and he 
wants to say good-bye to me," replied the boy. 

“ Nonsense,” she said; “ that is not your pigeon; 
it is only the morning sun shining on the chimney- 
top." 


40 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

But Hansel did not look back any more; he only 
dropped pieces of bread behind him, as they walked 
through the wood. This time they went on till they 
reached the thickest and densest part of the forest, 
where they had never been before in all their lives. 
Again they gathered faggots and brushwood, of 
which the stepmother made up a large fire. Then 
she said, “ Remain here, children, and rest, while I 
go to help your father, who is cutting wood in the 
forest; when you feel tired, you can lie down and 
sleep for a little while, and we will come and fetch 
you in the evening, when your father has finished 
his work.” 

So the children remained alone till mid-day, and 
then Grethel shared her piece of bread with Hansel, 
for he had scattered his own all along the road as 
they walked. After this they slept for awhile, and 
the evening drew on; but no one came to fetch the 
poor children. When they awoke it was quite dark, 
and poor little Grethel was afraid; but Hansel com¬ 
forted her, as he had done before, by telling her they 
need only wait till the moon rose. “ You know, little 
sister,” he said, “ that I have thrown breadcrumbs 
all along the road we came, and they will easily point 
out the way home.” 

But when they went out of the thicket into the 
moonlight they found no breadcrumbs, for the nu¬ 
merous birds which inhabited the trees of the forest 
had picked them all up. 

Hansel tried to hide his fear when he made this 
sad discovery, and said to his sister, “ Cheer up, 
Grethel; I dare say we shall find our way home with¬ 
out the crumbs. Let us try.” But this they found 



Hansel and Grethel 


4i 


impossible. They wandered about the whole night, 
and the next day from morning till evening; but they 
could not get out of the wood, and were so hungry 
that had it not been for a few berries which they 
picked they must have starved. 

At last they were so tired that their poor little 
legs could carry them no farther; so they laid them¬ 
selves down under a tree and went to sleep. When 
they awoke it was the third morning since they had 
left their father’s house, and they determined to try 
once more to find their way home; but it was no use, 
they only went still deeper into the wood, and knew 
that if no help came they must starve. 

About noon, they saw a beautiful snow-white bird 
sitting on the branch of a tree, and singing so beauti¬ 
fully that they stood still to listen. When he had 
finished his song, he spread out his wings and flew 
on before them. The children followed him, till 
at last they saw at a distance a small house; and 
the bird flew and perched on the roof. 

But how surprised were the boy and girl, when 
they came nearer, to find that the house was built of 
gingerbread, and ornamented with sweet cakes and 
tarts, while the window was formed of barley-sugar. 
“ Oh! ” exclaimed Hansel, “ let us stop here and 
have a splendid feast. I will have a piece from the 
roof first, Grethel; and you can eat some of the 
barley-sugar window, it tastes so nice.” Hansel 
reached up on tiptoe, and breaking off a piece of the 
gingerbread, he began to eat with all his might, for 
he was very hungry. Grethel seated herself on the 
doorstep, and began munching away at the cakes 


Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 


of which it was made. Presently a voice came out 
of the cottage: 

“ Munching, crunching, munching, 

Who’s eating up my house ? ” 

Then answered the children: 

“ The wind, the wind, 

Only the wind,” 

and went on eating as if they never meant to leave 
off, without a suspicion of wrong. Hansel, who 
found the cake on the roof taste very good, broke 
off another large piece, and Grethel had just taken 
out a whole pane of barley-sugar from the window, 
and seated herself to eat it, when the door opened, 
and a strange-looking old woman came out leaning 
on a stick. 

Hansel and Grethel were so frightened that they 
let fall what they held in their hands. The old 
woman shook her head at them, and said, “ Ah, you 
dear children, who has brought you here? Come 
in, and stay with me for a little while, and there 
shall no harm happen to you.” She seized them both 
by the hands as she spoke, and led them into the 
house. She gave them for supper plenty to eat and 
drink—milk and pancakes and sugar, apples and 
nuts; and when evening came, Hansel and Grethel 
were shown two beautiful little beds with white cur¬ 
tains, and they lay down in them and thought they 
were in heaven. 

But although the old woman pretended to be 




Hansel and Grethel 


43 


friendly, she was a wicked witch, who had her house 
built of gingerbread on purpose to entrap children. 
When once they were in her power, she would feed 
them well till they got fat, and then kill them and 
cook them for her dinner; and this she called her 
feast-day. Fortunately the witch had weak eyes, 
and could not see very well; but she had a very keen 
scent, as wild animals have, and could easily discover 
when human beings were near. As Hansel and 
Grethel had approached her cottage, she laughed to 
herself maliciously, and said, with a sneer: “ I have 
them now; they shall not escape from me again! ” 

Early in the morning, before the children were 
awake, she was up, standing by their beds; and when 
she saw how beautiful they looked in their sleep, 
with their round rosy cheeks, she muttered to her¬ 
self, “ What nice tit-bits they will be! ” Then she 
laid hold of Hansel with her rough hand, dragged 
him out of bed, and led him to a little cage which 
had a lattice-door, and shut him in; he might scream 
as much as he would, but it was all useless. 

After this she went back to Grethel, and, shaking 
her roughly till she woke, cried: “ Get up, you lazy 
hussy, and draw some water, that I may boil some¬ 
thing good for your brother, who is shut up in a 
cage outside till he gets fat; and then I shall cook 
him and eat him! ” When Grethel heard this she 
began to cry bitterly; but it was all useless, she was 
obliged to do as the wicked witch told her. 

For poor Hansel’s breakfast the best of everything 
was cooked; but Grethel had nothing for herself but 
a crab’s claw. Every morning the old woman would 
go out to the little cage, and say: “ Hansel, stick out 


44 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Knozv 

your finger, that I may feel if you are fat enough 
for eating.” But Hansel, who knew how dim her 
old eyes were, always stuck a bone through the bars 
of his cage, which she thought was his finger, for 
she could not see; and when she felt how thin it was, 
she wondered very much why he did not get fat. 

However, as the weeks went on, and Hansel 
seemed not to get any fatter, she became impatient, 
and said she could not wait any longer. “ Go, 
Grethel,” she cried to the maiden, “ be quick and 
draw water; Hansel may be fat or lean, I don’t care, 
to-morrow morning I mean to kill him, and cook 
him! ” 

Oh! how the poor little sister grieved when she 
was forced to draw the water; and, as the tears 
rolled down her cheeks, she exclaimed: “ It would 
have been better to be eaten by wild beasts, or to 
have been starved to death in the woods; then we 
should have died together! ” 

“ Stop your crying! ” cried the old woman; “ it is 
not of the least use, no one will come to help you.” 

Early in the morning Grethel was obliged to go 
out and fill the great pot with water, and hang it 
over the fire to boil. As soon as this was done, the 
old woman said, “We will bake some bread first; I 
have made the oven hot, and the dough is already 
kneaded.” Then she dragged poor little Grethel up 
to the oven door, under which the flames were burn¬ 
ing fiercely, and said: “ Creep in there, and see if 
it is hot enough yet to bake the bread.” But if 
Grethel had obeyed her, she would have shut the 
poor child in and baked her for dinner, instead of 
boiling Hansel. 


Hansel and Grethel 


45 


Grethel, however, guessed what she wanted to do, 
and said, “ I don’t know how to get in through that 
narrow door.” 

“ Stupid goose,” said the old woman, “ why, the 
oven door is quite large enough for me; just look, 
I could get in myself.” As she spoke she stepped 
forward and pretended to put her head in the oven. 

A sudden thought gave Grethel unusual strength; 
she started forward, gave the old woman a push 
which sent her right into the oven, then she shut the 
iron door and fastened the bolt. 

Oh! how the old witch did howl, it was quite hor¬ 
rible to hear her. But Grethel ran away, and there¬ 
fore she was left to burn, just as she had left many 
poor little children to burn. And how quickly 
Grethel ran to Hansel, opened the door of his cage, 
and cried, “ Hansel, Hansel, we are free; the old 
witch is dead.” He flew like a bird out of his cage 
at these words as soon as the door was opened, and 
the children were so overjoyed that they ran into 
each other’s arms, and kissed each other with the 
greatest love. 

And now that there was nothing to be afraid of, 
they went back into the house, and while looking 
round the old witch’s room, they saw an old oak 
chest, which they opened, and found it full of pearls 
and precious stones. “ These are better than peb¬ 
bles,” said Hansel; and he filled his pockets as full 
as they would hold. 

“ I will carry some home too,” said Grethel, and 
she held out her apron, which held quite as much as 
Hansel’s pockets. 


46 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

“ We will go now,” he said, “ and get away as 
soon as we can from this enchanted forest.” 

They had been walking for nearly two hours when 
they came to a large sheet of water. 

“What shall we do now?” said the boy. “We 
cannot get across, and there is no bridge of any 
sort.” 

“ Oh! here conies a boat,” cried Grethel, but she 
was mistaken; it was only a white duck which came 
swimming towards the children. “ Perhaps she will 
help us across if we ask her,” said the child; and 
she sung, “ Little duck, do help poor Hansel and 
Grethel; there is not a bridge, nor a boat—will you 
let us sail across on your white back? ” 

The good-natured duck came near the bank as 
Grethel spoke, so close indeed that Hansel could seat 
himself and wanted to take his little sister on his 
lap, but she said, “ No, we shall be too heavy for the 
kind duck; let her take us over one at a time.” 

The good creature did as the children wished; 
she carried Grethel over first, and then came back 
for Hansel. And then how happy the children were 
to find themselves in a part of the wood which they 
remembered quite well, and as they walked on, the 
more familiar it became, till at last they caught sight 
of their father’s house. Then they began to run, 
and, bursting into the room, threw themselves into 
their father’s arms. 

Poor man, he had not had a moment’s peace since 
the children had been left alone in the forest; he 
was full of joy at finding them safe and well again, 
and now they had nothing to fear, for their wicked 
stepmother was dead. 


Hansel and Grethel 


47 


But how surprised the poor wood-cutter was when 
Grethel opened and shook her little apron to see the 
glittering pearls and precious stones scattered about 
the room, while Hansel drew handful after handful 
from his pockets. From this moment all his care 
and sorrow was at an end, and the father lived in 
happiness with his children till his death. 


CHAPTER V 


THE STORY OF ALADDIN/ OR, THE WONDERFUL LAMP' 

In one of the large and rich cities of China, there 
once lived a tailor named Mustapha. He was very 
poor. He could hardly, by his daily labour, main¬ 
tain himself and his family, which consisted only of 
his wife and a son. 

His son, who was called Aladdin, was a very care¬ 
less and idle fellow. He was disobedient to his 
father and mother, and would go out early in the 
morning and stay out all day, playing in the streets 
and public places with idle children of his own age. 

When he was old enough to learn a trade, his 
father took him into his own shop, and taught him 
how to use his needle; but all his father’s endeavours 
to keep him to his work were vain, for no sooner was 
his back turned, than he was gone for that day. 
Mustapha chastised him, but Aladdin was incor¬ 
rigible, and his father, to his great grief, was forced 
to abandon him to his idleness; and was so much 
troubled about him, that he fell sick and died in a 
few months. 

Aladdin, who was now no longer restrained by the 
fear of a father, gave himself entirely over to his 
idle habits, and was never out of the streets from 
his companions. This course he followed till he was 


Story of Aladdin ; or, The Wonderful Lamp 49 

fifteen years old, without giving his mind to any 
useful pursuit, or the least reflection on what would 
become of him. As he was one day playing, accord¬ 
ing to custom, in the street, with his evil associates, 
a stranger passing by stood to observe him. 

This stranger was a sorcerer, known as the 
African magician, as he had been but two days 
arrived from Africa, his native country. 

The African magician, observing in Aladdin’s 
countenance, something which assured him that he 
was a fit boy for his purpose, inquired his name and 
history of some of his companions, and when he had 
learnt all he desired to know, went up to him, and 
taking him aside from his comrades, said, “ Child, 
was not your father called Mustapha the tailor ? ” 
“ Yes, sir,” answered the boy, “ but he has been dead 
a long time.” 

At these words the African magician threw his 
arms about Aladdin’s neck, and kissed him several 
times, with tears in his eyes, and said, “ I am your 
uncle. Your worthy father was my own brother. 
I knew you at first sight, you are so like him.” Then 
he gave Aladdin a handful of small money, saying, 
“ Go, my son, to your mother, give my love to her, 
and tell her that I will visit her to-morrow, that I 
may see where my good brother lived so long, and 
ended his days.” 

Aladdin ran to his mother, overjoyed at the money 
his uncle had given him. “ Mother,” said he, “ have 
I an uncle? ” “ No, child,” replied his mother, “ you 
have no uncle by your father’s side or mine.” “ I 
am just now come,” said Aladdin, “ from a man who 
says he is my uncle and my father’s brother. He 


50 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

cried and kissed me when I told him my father was 
dead, and gave me money, sending his love to you, 
and promising to come and pay you a visit, that he 
may see the house my father lived and died in.” 
“ Indeed, child,” replied the mother, “ your father 
had no brother, nor have you an uncle.” , 

The next day the magician found Aladdin playing 
in another part of the town, and embracing him as 
before, put two pieces of gold into his hand, and 
said to him, “ Carry this, child, to your mother; tell 
her that I will come and see her to-night, and bid 
her get us something for supper; but first show me 
the house where you live.” 

Aladdin showed the African magician the house, 
and carried the two pieces of gold to his mother, 
who went out and bought provisions; and consider¬ 
ing she wanted various utensils, borrowed them of 
her neighbours. She spent the whole day in prepar¬ 
ing the supper; and at night, when it was ready, said 
to her son, “ Perhaps the stranger knows not how 
to find our house; go and bring him, if you meet 
with him.” 

Aladdin was just ready to go, when the magician 
knocked at the door, and came in loaded with wine 
and all sorts of fruits, which he brought for a des¬ 
sert. After he had given what he brought into 
Aladdin’s hands, he saluted his mother, and desired 
her to show him the place where his brother Mus- 
tapha used to sit on the sofa; and when she had so 
done, he fell down and kissed it several times, cry¬ 
ing out, with tears in his eyes, “ My poor brother! 
how unhappy am I, not to have come soon enough 
to give you one last embrace.” Aladdin’s mother 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 51 

desired him to sit down in the same place, but he 
declined. “ No/’ said he, “ I shall not do that; but 
give me leave to sit opposite to it, that although I 
see not the master of a family so dear to me, I may 
at least behold the place where he used to sit.” 

When the magician had made choice of a place, 
and sat down, he began to enter into discourse with 
Aladdin’s mother. “ My good sister,” said he, “ do 
not be surprised at your never having seen me all 
the time you have been married to my brother Mus- 
tapha of happy memory. I have been forty years 
absent from this country, which is my native place, 
as well as my late brother’s; and during that time 
have travelled into the Indies, Persia, Arabia, Syria, 
and Egypt, and afterward crossed over into Africa, 
where I took up my abode. At last, as it is natural 
for a man, I was desirous to see my native country 
again, and to embrace my dear brother; and finding 
I had strength enough to undertake so long a jour¬ 
ney, I made the necessary preparations, and set out. 
Nothing ever afflicted me so much as hearing of 
my brother’s death. But God be praised for all 
things! It is a comfort for me to find, as it were, 
my brother in a son, who has his most remarkable 
features.” 

The African magician perceiving that the widow 
wept at the remembrance of her husband, changed 
the conversation, and turning toward her son, asked 
him, “ What business do you follow ? Are you of 
any trade ? ” 

At this question the youth hung down his head, 
and was not a little abashed when his mother 
answered, “Aladdin is an idle fellow. His father, 


52 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

when alive, strove all he could to teach him his 
trade, but could not succeed; and since his death, 
notwithstanding all I can say to him, he does noth¬ 
ing but idle away his time in the streets, as you saw 
him, without considering he is no longer a child; 
and if you do not make him ashamed of it, I despair 
of his ever coming to any good. For my part, I am 
resolved, one of these days, to turn him out of doors, 
and let him provide for himself.” 

After these words, Aladdin’s mother burst into 
tears; and the magician said, “ This is not well, 
nephew; you must think of helping yourself, and 
getting your livelihood. There are many sorts of 
trades; perhaps you do not like your father’s, and 
would prefer another; I will endeavour to help you. 
If you have no mind to learn any handicraft, I will 
take a shop for you, furnish it with all sorts of fine 
stuffs and linens; and then with the money you 
make of them you can lay in fresh goods, and live 
in an honourable way. Tell me freely what you 
think of my proposal; you shall always find me 
ready to keep my word.” 

This plan just suited Aladdin, who hated work. 
He told the magician he had a greater inclination 
to that business than to any other, and that he should 
be much obliged to him for his kindness. “ Well 
then,” said the African magician, “ I will carry you 
with me to-morrow, clothe you as handsomely as 
the best merchants in the city, and afterward we will 
open a shop as I mentioned.” 

The widow, after his promises of kindness to her 
son, no longer doubted that the magician was her 
husband’s brother. She thanked him for his good 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 53 

intentions; and after having exhorted Aladdin to 
render himself worthy of his uncle’s favour, served 
up supper, at which they talked of several indifferent 
matters; and then the magician took his leave and 
retired. 

He came again the next day, as he had promised, 
and took Aladdin with him to a merchant, who sold 
all sorts of clothes for different ages and ranks, 
ready made, and a variety of fine stuffs, and bade 
Aladdin choose those he preferred, which he paid 
for. 

When Aladdin found himself so handsomely 
equipped, he returned his uncle thanks, who thus 
addressed him: “ As you are soon to be a merchant, 
it is proper you should frequent these shops, and be 
acquainted with them.” He then showed him the 
largest and finest mosques, carried him to the khans 
or inns where the merchants and travellers lodged, 
and afterward to the sultan’s palace, where he had 
free access; and at last brought him to his own 
khan, where, meeting with some merchants he had 
become acquainted with since his arrival, he gave 
them a treat, to bring them and his pretended 
nephew acquainted. 

This entertainment lasted till night, when Aladdin 
would have taken leave of his uncle to go home; 
the magician would not let him go by himself, but 
conducted him to his mother, who, as soon as she 
saw him so well dressed, was transported with joy, 
and bestowed a thousand blessings upon 'the magi¬ 
cian. 

Early the next morning the magician called again 
for Aladdin, and said he would take him to spend 


54 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

that day in the country, and on the next he would 
purchase the shop. He then led him out at one of 
the gates of the city, to some magnificent palaces, 
to each of which belonged beautiful gardens, into 
which anybody might enter. At every building he 
came to, he asked Aladdin if he did not think it fine; 
and the youth was ready to answer when any one 
presented itself, crying out, “ Here is a finer house, 
uncle, than any we have yet seen.” By this artifice, 
the cunning magician led Aladdin some way into the 
country; and as he meant to carry him farther, to 
execute his design, he took an opportunity to sit 
down in one of the gardens, on the brink of a fount¬ 
ain of clear water, which discharged itself by a 
lion’s mouth of bronze into a basin, pretending to 
be tired: “ Come, nephew,” said he, “ you must be 
weary as well as I; let us rest ourselves, and we 
shall be better able to pursue our walk.” 

The magician next pulled from his girdle a hand¬ 
kerchief with cakes and fruit, and during this short 
repast he exhorted his nephew to leave off bad com¬ 
pany, and to seek that of wise and prudent men, to 
improve by their conversation; “ for,” said he, “ you 
will soon be at man’s estate, and you cannot too 
early begin to imitate their example.” When they 
had eaten as much as they liked, they got up, and 
pursued their walk through gardens separated from 
one another only by small ditches, which marked out 
the limits without interrupting the communication; 
so great was the confidence the inhabitants reposed 
in each other. By this means the African magician 
drew Aladdin insensibly beyond the gardens, and 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 55 

crossed the country, till they nearly reached the 
mountains. 

At last they arrived between two mountains of 
moderate height and equal size, divided by a narrow 
valley, which was the place where the magician in¬ 
tended to execute the design that had brought him 
from Africa to China. “We will go no farther 
now,” said he to Aladdin; “ I will show you here 
some extraordinary things, which, when you have 
seen, you will thank me for: but while I strike a 
light, gather up all the loose dry sticks you can see, 
to kindle a fire with.” 

Aladdin found so many dried sticks, that he soon 
collected a great heap. The magician presently set 
them on fire; and when they were in a blaze, threw 
in some incense, pronouncing several magical words, 
which Aladdin did not understand. 

He had scarcely done so when the earth opened 
just before the magician, and discovered a stone 
with a brass ring fixed in it. Aladdin was so fright¬ 
ened that he would have run away, but the magician 
caught hold of him, and gave him such a box on the 
ear that he knocked him down. Aladdin got up 
trembling, and with tears in his eyes said to the 
magician, “ What have I done, uncle, to be treated 
in this severe manner ? ” “I am your uncle,” 
answered the magician; “ I supply the place of your 
father, and you ought to make no reply. But child,” 
added he, softening, “ do not be afraid; for I shall 
not ask anything of you, but that you obey me punc¬ 
tually, if you would reap the advantages which I 
intend you. Know, then, that under this stone there 
is hidden a treasure, destined to be yours, and which 


56 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

will make you richer than the greatest monarch in 
the world. No person but yourself is permitted to 
lift this stone, or enter the cave; so you must punc¬ 
tually execute what I may command, for it is a 
matter of great consequence both to you and me.” 

Aladdin, amazed at all he saw and heard, forgot 
what was past, and rising said, “ Well, uncle, what 
is to be done? Command me, I am ready to obey.” 
“ I am overjoyed, child,” said the African magician, 
embracing him. “ Take hold of the ring, and lift 
up that stone.” “ Indeed, uncle,” replied Aladdin, 
“ I am not strong enough; you must help me.” 
“ You have no occasion for my assistance,” 
answered the magician; “ if I help you, we shall be 
able to do nothing. Take hold of the ring, and lift 
it up; you will find it will come easily.” Aladdin did 
as the magician bade him, raised the stone with ease, 
and laid it on one side. 

When the stone was pulled up, there appeared a 
staircase about three or four feet deep, leading to a 
door. “ Descend, my son,” said the African magi¬ 
cian, “ those steps, and open that door. It will lead 
you into a palace, divided into three great halls. In 
each of these you will see four large brass cisterns 
placed on each side, full of gold and silver; but take 
care you do not meddle with them. Before you 
enter the first hall, be sure to tuck up your robe, 
wrap it about you, and then pass through the second 
into the third without stopping. Above all things, 
have a care that you do not touch the walls so much 
as with your clothes; for if you do, you will die 
instantly. At the end of the third hall, you will find 
a door which opens into a garden, planted with fine 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 57 

trees loaded with fruit. Walk directly across the 
garden to a terrace, where you will see a niche be¬ 
fore you, and in that niche a lighted lamp. Take 
the lamp down and put it out. When you have 
thrown away the wick and poured out the liquor, 
put it in your waistband and bring it to me. Do not 
be afraid that the liquor will spoil your clothes, for 
it is not oil, and the lamp will be dry as soon as it 
is thrown out.” 

After these words the magician drew a ring off 
his finger, and put it on one of Aladdin’s, saying, 
“ It is a talisman against all evil, so long as you 
obey me. Go, therefore, boldly, and we shall both 
be rich all our lives.” 

Aladdin descended the steps, and, opening the 
door, found the three halls just as the African ma¬ 
gician had described. He went through them with 
all the precaution the fear of death could inspire, 
crossed the garden without stopping, took down the 
lamp from the niche, threw out the wick and the 
liquor, and, as the magician had desired, put it in 
his waistband. But as he came down from the ter¬ 
race, seeing it was perfectly dry, he stopped in the 
garden to observe the trees, which were loaded with 
extraordinary fruit of different colours on each tree. 
Some bore fruit entirely white, and some clear and 
transparent as crystal; some pale red, and others 
deeper; some green, blue, and purple, and others 
yellow; in short, there was fruit of all colours. The 
white were pearls; the clear and transparent, 
diamonds; the deep red, rubies; the paler, balas 
rubies; the green, emeralds; the blue, turquoises; 
the purple, amethysts; and the yellow, sapphires. 


58 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

Aladdin, ignorant of their value, would have pre¬ 
ferred figs, or grapes, or pomegranates; but as he 
had his uncle’s permission, he resolved to gather 
some of every sort. Having filled the two new 
purses his uncle had bought for him with his clothes, 
he wrapped some up in the skirts of his vest, and 
crammed his bosom as full as it could hold. 

Aladdin, having thus loaded himself with riches 
of which he knew not the value, returned through 
the three halls with the utmost precaution, and soon 
arrived at the mouth of the cave, where the African 
magician awaited him with the utmost impatience. 
As soon as Aladdin saw him, he cried out, “ Pray, 
uncle, lend me your hand, to help me out.” “ Give 
me the lamp first,” replied the magician; “ it will be 
troublesome to you.” “ Indeed, uncle,” answered 
Aladdin, “ I cannot now, but I will as soon as I am 
up.” The African magician was determined that he 
would have the lamp before he would help him up; 
and Aladdin, who had encumbered himself so much 
with his fruit that he could not well get at it, refused 
to give it to him till he was out of the cave. The 
African magician, provoked at this obstinate refusal, 
flew into a passion, threw a little of his incense into 
the fire, and pronounced two magical words, when 
the stone which had closed the mouth of the stair¬ 
case moved into its place, with the earth over it in 
the same manner as it lay at the arrival of the 
magician and Aladdin. 

This action of the magician plainly revealed to 
Aladdin that he was no uncle of his, but one who 
designed him evil. The truth was that he had 
learnt from his magic books the secret and the value 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 59 

of this wonderful lamp, the owner of which would 
be made richer than any earthly ruler, and hence his 
journey to China. His art had also told him that 
he was not permitted to take it himself, but must 
receive it as a voluntary gift from the hands of an¬ 
other person. Hence he employed young Aladdin, 
and hoped by a mixture of kindness and authority to 
make him obedient to his word and will. When he 
found that his attempt had failed, he set out to re¬ 
turn to Africa, but avoided the town, lest any person 
who had seen him leave in company with Aladdin 
should make inquiries after the youth. Aladdin 
being suddenly enveloped in darkness, cried, and 
called out to his uncle to tell him he was ready to 
give him the lamp; but in vain, since his cries could 
not be heard. He descended to the bottom of the 
steps, with a design to get into the palace, but the 
door, which was opened before by enchantment, was 
now shut by the same means. He then redoubled 
his cries and tears, sat down on the steps without 
any hopes of ever seeing light again, and in an ex¬ 
pectation of passing from the present darkness to 
a speedy death. In this great emergency he said, 
“ There is no strength or power but in the great 
and high God ”; and in joining his hands to pray he 
rubbed the ring which the magician had put on his 
finger. Immediately a genie of frightful aspect ap¬ 
peared, and said, “ What wouldst thou have ? I am 
ready to obey thee. I serve him who possesses the 
ring on thy finger; I, and the other slaves of that 
ring.” 

At another time Aladdin would have been fright¬ 
ened at the sight of so extraordinary a figure, but 


6 o Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 


the danger he was in made him answer without hesi¬ 
tation, “ Whoever thou art, deliver me from this 
place.” He had no sooner spoken these words, than 
he found himself on the very spot where the ma¬ 
gician had last left him, and no sign of cave or 
opening, nor disturbance of the earth. Returning 
God thanks to find himself once more in the world, 
he made the best of his way home. When he got 
within his mother’s door, the joy to see her and his 
weakness for want of sustenance made him so faint 
that he remained for a long time as dead. As soon 
as he recovered, he related to his mother all that had 
happened to him, and they were both very vehe¬ 
ment in their complaints of the cruel magician. 
Aladdin slept very soundly till late the next morning, 
when the first thing he said to his mother was, that 
he wanted something to eat, and wished she would 
give him his breakfast. “ Alas ! child,” said she, “ I 
have not a bit of bread to give you; you ate up all 
the provisions I had in the house yesterday; but I 
have a little cotton which I have spun; I will go and 
sell it, and buy bread and something for our dinner.” 
“ Mother,” replied Aladdin, “ keep your cotton for 
another time, and give me the lamp I brought home 
with me yesterday; I will go and sell it, and the 
money I shall get for it will serve both for break¬ 
fast and dinner, and perhaps supper too.” 

Aladdin’s mother took the lamp and said to her 
son, “ Here it is, but it is very dirty; if it were a 
little cleaner I believe it would bring something 
more.” She took some fine sand and water to clean 
it; but had no sooner begun to rub it, than in an 
instant a hideous genie of gigantic size appeared 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 61 

before her, and said to her in a voice of thunder, 
“What wouldst thou have? I am ready to obey 
thee as thy slave, and the slave of all those who have 
that lamp in their hands; I and the other slaves of 
the lamp.” 

Aladdin’s mother, terrified at the sight of the 
genie, fainted; when Aladdin, who had seen such a 
phantom in the cavern, snatched the lamp out of 
his mother’s hand, and said to the genie boldly, “ I 
am hungry, bring me something to eat.” The genie 
disappeared immediately, and in an instant returned 
with a large silver tray, holding twelve covered 
dishes of the same metal, which contained the most 
delicious viands; six large white bread cakes on two 
plates, two flagons of wine, and two silver cups. 
All these he placed upon a carpet and disappeared; 
this was done before Aladdin’s mother recovered 
from her swoon. 

Aladdin had fetched some water, and sprinkled it 
in her face to recover her. Whether that or the 
smell of the meat effected her cure, it was not long 
before she came to herself. “ Mother,” said Alad¬ 
din, “ be not afraid: get up and eat; here is what 
will put you in heart, and at the same time satisfy 
my extreme hunger.” 

His mother was much surprised to see the great 
tray, twelve dishes, six loaves, the two flagons and 
cups, and to smell the savoury odour which exhaled 
from the dishes. “ Child,” said she, “ to whom are 
we obliged for this great plenty and liberality ? Has 
the sultan been made acquainted with our poverty, 
and had compassion on us?” “It is no matter, 
mother,” said Aladdin, “ let us sit down and eat; 


62 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 


for you have almost as much need of a good break¬ 
fast as myself; when we have done, I will tell you.” 
Accordingly, both mother and son sat down and ate 
with the better relish as the table was so well fur¬ 
nished. But all the time Aladdin’s mother could 
not forbear looking at and admiring the tray and 
dishes, though she could not judge whether they 
were silver or any other metal, and the novelty more 
than the value attracted her attention. 

The mother and son sat at breakfast till it was 
dinner-time, and then they thought it would be best 
to put the two meals together; yet, after this they 
found they should have enough left for supper, and 
two meals for the next day. 

When Aladdin’s mother had taken away and set 
by what was left, she went and sat down by her son 
on the sofa, saying, “ I expect now that you should 
satisfy my impatience, and tell me exactly what 
passed between the genie and you while I was in a 
swoon ”; which he readily complied with. 

She was in as great amazement at what her son 
told her, as at the appearance of the genie; and said 
to him, “ But, son, what have we to do with genies ? 
I never heard that any of my acquaintance had ever 
seen one. How came that vile genie to address him¬ 
self to me, and not to you, to whom he had appeared 
before in the cave ? ” “ Mother,” answered Aladdin, 
“ the genie you saw is not the one who appeared to 
me. If you remember, he that I first saw called him¬ 
self the slave of the ring on my finger; and this you 
saw, called himself the slave of the lamp you had in 
your hand; but I believe you did not hear him, for 
I think you fainted as soon as he began to speak.” 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 63 

“ What! ” cried the mother, “ was your lamp then 
the occasion of that cursed genie’s addressing him¬ 
self rather to me than to you ? Ah! my son, take it 
out of my sight, and put it where you please. I had 
rather you would sell it than run the hazard of being 
frightened to death again by touching it; and if 
you would take my advice, you would part also with 
the ring, and not have anything to do with genies, 
who, as our prophet has told us, are only devils.” 

“ With your leave, mother,” replied Aladdin, “ I 
shall now take care how I sell a lamp which may be 
so serviceable both to you and me. That false and 
wicked magician would not have undertaken so long 
a journey to secure this wonderful lamp if he had 
not known its value to exceed that of gold and 
silver. And since we have honestly come by it, let 
us make a profitable use of it, without making any 
great show, and exciting the envy and jealousy of 
our neighbours. However, since the genies frighten 
you so much, I will take it out of your sight, and 
put it where I may find it when I want it. The ring 
I cannot resolve to part with; for without that you 
had never seen me again; and though I am alive 
now, perhaps, if it were gone, I might not be so 
some moments hence; therefore, I hope you will 
give me leave to keep it, and to wear it always on 
my finger.” Aladdin’s mother replied that he might 
do what he pleased; for her part, she would have 
nothing to do with genies, and never say anything 
more about them. 

By the next night they had eaten all the pro¬ 
visions the genie had brought; and the next day 
Aladdin, who could not bear the thoughts of hunger, 


64 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

putting one of the silver dishes under his vest, went 
out early to sell it, and addressing himself to a Jew 
whom he met in the streets, took him aside, and 
pulling out the plate, asked him if he would buy it. 
The cunning Jew took the dish, examined it, and 
as soon as he found that it was good silver, asked 
Aladdin at how much he valued it. Aladdin, who 
had never been used to such traffic, told him he 
would trust to his judgment and honour. The Jew 
was somewhat confounded at this plain dealing; 
and doubting whether Aladdin understood the 
material or the full value of what he Offered to sell, 
took a piece of gold out of his purse and gave it 
him, though it was but the sixtieth part of the worth 
of the plate. Aladdin, taking the money very 
eagerly, retired with so much haste, that the Jew, 
not content with the exorbitancy of his profit, was 
vexed he had not penetrated into his ignorance, and 
was going to run after him, to endeavour to get 
some change out of the piece of gold; but he ran 
so fast, and had got so far, that it would have been 
impossible for him to overtake him. 

Before Aladdin went home, he called at a baker’s, 
bought some cakes of bread, changed his money, 
and on his return gave the rest to his mother, who 
went and purchased provisions enough to last them 
some time. After this manner they lived, till Alad¬ 
din had sold the twelve dishes singly, as necessity 
pressed, to the Jew, for the same money; who, after 
the first time, durst not offer him less, for fear of 
losing so good a bargain. When he had sold the 
last dish, he had recourse to the tray, which weighed 
ten times as much as the dishes, and would have 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 65 

carried it to his old purchaser, but that it was too 
large and cumbersone; therefore he was obliged to 
bring him home with him to his mother’s, where, 
after the Jew had examined the weight of the tray, 
he laid down ten pieces of gold, with which Aladdin 
was very well satisfied. 

When all the money was spent, Aladdin had re¬ 
course again to the lamp. He took it in his hands, 
looked for the part where his mother had rubbed it 
with the sand, rubbed it also, when the genie im¬ 
mediately appeared, and said, “ What wouldst thou 
have? I am ready to obey thee as thy slave, and 
the slave of all those who have that lamp in their 
hands; I, and the other slaves of the lamp.” “ I 
am hungry,” said Aladdin, “ bring me something 
to eat.” The genie disappeared, and presently re¬ 
turned with a tray, the same number of covered 
dishes as before, set them down, and vanished. 

As soon as Aladdin found that their provisions 
were again expended, he took one of the dishes, 
and went to look for his Jew chapman; but passing 
by a goldsmith’s shop, the goldsmith perceiving him, 
called to him, and said, “ My lad, I imagine that you 
have something to sell to the Jew, whom I often 
see you visit; but perhaps you do not know that he 
is the greatest rogue even among the Jews. I will 
give you the full worth of what you have to sell, or 
1 will direct you to other merchants who will not 
cheat you.” 

This offer induced Aladdin to pull his plate from 
under his vest and show it to the goldsmith; who at 
first sight saw that it was made of the finest silver, 
and asked him if he had sold such as that to the 


66 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

Jew; when Aladdin told him that he had sold him 
twelve such, for a piece of gold each. “ What a vil¬ 
lain ! ” cried the goldsmith. “ But,” added he, “ my 
son, what is past cannot be recalled. By showing 
you the value of this plate, which is of the finest 
silver we use in our shops, I will let you see how 
much the Jew has cheated you.” 

The goldsmith took a pair of scales, weighed the 
dish, and assured him that his plate would fetch by 
weight sixty pieces of gold, which he offered to pay 
down immediately. 

Aladdin thanked him for his fair dealing, and 
never after went to any other person. 

Though Aladdin and his mother had an inex¬ 
haustible treasure in their lamp, and might have had 
whatever they wished for, yet they lived with the 
same frugality as before, and it may easily be sup¬ 
posed that the money for which Aladdin had sold 
the dishes and tray was sufficient to maintain them 
some time. 

During this interval, Aladdin frequented the 
shops of the principal merchants, where they sold 
cloth of gold and silver, linens, silk stuffs, and 
jewellery, and, oftentimes joining in their conversa¬ 
tion, acquired a knowledge of the world, and a 
desire to improve himself. By his acquaintance 
among the jewellers, he came to know that the fruits 
which he had gathered when he took the lamp were, 
instead of coloured glass, stones of inestimable value; 
but he had the prudence not to mention this to any 
one, not even to his mother. 

One day as Aladdin was walking about the town, 
he heard an order proclaimed, commanding the 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 67 

people to shut up their shops and houses, and keep 
within doors while the Princess Buddir al Buddoor, 
the sultan’s daughter, went to the bath and returned. 

This proclamation inspired Aladdin with eager 
desire to see the princess’s face, which he determined 
to gratify, by placing himself behind the door of the 
bath, so that he could not fail to see her face. 

Aladdin had not long concealed himself before 
the princess came. She was attended by a great 
crowd of ladies, slaves, and mutes, who walked on 
each side and behind her. When she came within 
three or four paces of the door of the bath, she took 
off her veil, and gave Aladdin an opportunity of a 
full view of her face. 

The princess was a noted beauty: her eyes were 
large, lively, and sparkling; her smile bewitching; 
her nose faultless; her mouth small; her lips ver¬ 
milion. It is not therefore surprising that Aladdin, 
who had never before seen such a blaze of charms, 
was dazzled and enchanted. 

After the princess had passed by, and entered the 
bath, Aladdin quitted his hiding-place, and went 
home. His mother perceived him to be more 
thoughtful and melancholy than usual; and asked 
what had happened to make him sb, or if he was ill. 
He then told his mother all his adventure, and con¬ 
cluded by declaring, “ I love the princess more than 
I can express, and am resolved that I will ask her 
in marriage of the sultan.” 

Aladdin’s mother listened with surprise to what 
her son told her; but when he talked of asking the 
princess in marriage, she laughed aloud. “ Alas 1 


68 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 


child,” said she, “what are you thinking of? You 
must be mad to talk thus.” 

“ I assure you, mother,” replied Aladdin, “ that I 
am not mad, but in my right senses. I foresaw that 
you would reproach me with folly and extrava¬ 
gance ; but I must tell you once more, that I am re¬ 
solved to demand the princess of the sultan in mar¬ 
riage ; nor do I despair of success. I have the slaves 
of the lamp and of the ring to help me, and you 
know how powerful their aid is. And I have an¬ 
other secret to tell you: those pieces of glass, which 
I got from the trees in the garden of the subter¬ 
ranean palace, are jewels of inestimable value, and 
fit for the greatest monarchs. All the precious 
stones the jewellers have in Bagdad are not to be 
compared to mine for size or beauty; and I am sure 
that the offer of them will secure the favour of the 
sultan. You have a large porcelain dish fit to hold 
them; fetch it, and let us see how they will look, 
when we have arranged them according to their dif¬ 
ferent colours. 

Aladdin’s mother brought the china dish, when 
he took the jewels out of the two purses in which 
he had kept them, and placed them in order, accord¬ 
ing to his fancy. But the brightness and lustre 
they emitted in the daytime, and the variety of the 
colours, so dazzled the eyes both of mother and son, 
that they were astonished beyond measure. Alad¬ 
din’s mother, emboldened by the sight of these 
rich jewels, and fearful lest her son should be guilty 
of greater extravagance, complied with his request, 
and promised to go early in the next morning to the 
palace of the sultan. Aladdin rose before daybreak, 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 69 

awakened his mother, pressing her to go to the sul¬ 
tan’s palace, and to get admittance, if possible,before 
the grand vizier, the other viziers, and the great 
officers of state went in to take their seats in the 
divan, where the sultan always attended in person. 

Aladdin’s mother took the china dish, in which 
they had put the jewels the day before, wrapped it 
in two fine napkins, and set forward for the sultan’s 
palace. When she came to the gates, the grand 
vizier, the other viziers, and most distinguished lords 
of the court were just gone in; but notwithstanding 
the crowd of people was great, she got into the 
divan, a spacious hall, the entrance into which was 
very magnificent. She placed herself just before the 
sultan, grand vizier, and the great lords, who sat in 
council, on his right and left hand. Several causes 
were called, according to their order, pleaded and 
adjudged, until the time the divan generally broke 
up, when the sultan, rising, returned to his apart¬ 
ment, attended by the grand vizier; the other viziers 
and ministers of state then retired, as also did all 
those whose business had called them thither. 

Aladdin’s mother, seeing the sultan retire, and all 
the people depart, judged rightly that he would not 
sit again that day, and resolved to go home; and on 
her arrival said, with much simplicity, “ Son, I have 
seen the sultan, and am very well persuaded he has 
seen me, too, for I placed myself just before him; 
but he was so much taken up with those who at¬ 
tended on all sides of him that I pitied him, and 
wondered at his patience. At last I believe he was 
heartily tired, for he rose up suddenly, and would 
not hear a great many who were ready prepared to 


70 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

speak to him, but went away, at which I was well 
pleased, for indeed I began to lose all patience, and 
was extremely fatigued with staying so long. But 
there is no harm done; I will go again to-morrow; 
perhaps the sultan may not be so busy.” 

The next morning she repaired to the sultan’s 
palace with the present, as early as the day before; 
but when she came there, she found the gates of 
the divan shut. She went six times afterward on 
the days appointed, placed herself always directly 
before the sultan, but with as little success as the 
first morning. 

On the sixth day, however, after the divan was 
broken up, when the sultan returned to his own 
apartment, he said to his grand vizier: “ I have for 
some time observed a certain woman, who attends 
constantly every day that I give audience, with 
something wrapped up in a napkin; she always 
stands up from the beginning to the breaking up of 
the audience, and affects to place herself just before 
me. If this woman comes to our next audience, do 
not fail to call her, that I may hear what she has to 
say.” The grand vizier made answer by lowering 
his hand, and then lifting it up above his head, sig¬ 
nifying his willingness to lose it if he failed. 

On the next audience day, when Aladdin’s mother 
went to the divan, and placed herself in front of the 
sultan as usual, the grand vizier immediately called 
the chief of the mace-bearers, and pointing to her 
bade him bring her before the sultan. The old 
woman at once followed the mace-bearer, and when 
she reached the sultan bowed her head down to the 
carpet which covered the platform of the throne, 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 71 

and remained in that posture until he bade her rise, 
which she had no sooner done, than he said to. her, 
“ Good woman, I have observed you to stand many 
days from the beginning to the rising of the divan; 
what business brings you here ? ” 

After these words, Aladdin’s mother prostrated 
herself a second time; and when she arose, said, 
“ Monarch of monarchs, I beg of you to pardon the 
boldness of my petition, and to assure me of your 
pardon and forgiveness.” “ Well,” replied the sul¬ 
tan, “ I will forgive you, be it what it may, and no 
hurt shall come to you; speak boldly.” 

When Aladdin’s mother had taken all these pre¬ 
cautions, for fear of the sultan’s anger, she told him 
faithfully the errand on which her son had sent her, 
and the event which led to his making so bold a 
request in spite of all her remonstrances. 

The sultan hearkened to this discourse without 
showing the least anger; but before he gave her any 
answer, asked her what she had brought tied up in 
the napkin. She took the china dish which she had 
set down at the foot of the throne, untied it, and 
presented it to the sultan. 

The sultan’s amazement and surprise were inex¬ 
pressible, when he saw so many large, beautiful and 
valuable jewels collected in the dish. He remained 
for some time lost in admiration. At last, when he 
had recovered himself, he received the present from 
Aladdin’s mother’s hand; saying, “ How rich, how 
beautiful! ” After he had admired and handled all 
the jewels one after another, he turned to his grand 
vizier, and showing him the dish, said, “ Behold, 
admire, wonder! and confess that your tyes never 


72 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

beheld jewels so rich and beautiful before.” The 
vizier was charmed. “ Well,” continued the sultan, 
“ what sayest thou to such a present? Is it not 
worthy of the princess my daughter? And ought 
I not to bestow her on one who values her at so 
great a price?” “I cannot but own,” replied the 
grand vizier, “ that the present is worthy of the 
princess; but I beg of your majesty to grant me 
three months before you come to a final resolution. 
I hope, before that time, my son, whom you have 
regarded with your favour, will be able to make a 
nobler present than this Aladdin, who is an entire 
stranger to your majesty.” 

The sultan granted his request, and he said to the 
old woman, “ Good woman, go home, and tell your 
son that I agree to the proposal you have made me; 
but I cannot marry the princess my daughter for 
three months; at the expiration of that time come 
again.” 

Aladdin’s mother returned home much more grati¬ 
fied than she had expected, and told her son with 
much joy the condescending answer she had re¬ 
ceived from the sultan’s own mouth; and that she 
was to come to the divan again that day three 
months. 

Aladdin thought himself the most happy of all 
men at hearing this news, and thanked his mother 
for the pains she had taken in the affair, the good 
success of which was of so great importance to his 
peace, that he counted every day, week, and even 
hour as it passed. When two of the three months 
were passed, his mother one evening, having no oil 
in the house, went out to buy some, and found a 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 73 

general rejoicing—the houses dressed with foliage, 
silks, and carpeting, and every one striving to show 
their joy according to their ability. The streets were 
crowded with officers in habits of ceremony, 
mounted on horses richly caparisoned, each at¬ 
tended by a great many footmen. Aladdin’s mother 
asked the oil merchant what was the meaning of all 
this preparation of public festivity. “ Whence came 
you, good woman,” said he, “ that you don’t know 
that the grand vizier’s son is to marry the Princess 
Buddir al Buddoor, the sultan’s daughter, to-night? 
She will presently return from the bath; and these 
officers whom you see are to assist at the cavalcade 
to the palace, where the ceremony is to be solem¬ 
nised.” 

Aladdin’s mother, on hearing these news, ran 
home very quickly. “ Child,” cried she, “ you are 
undone! the sultan’s fine promises will come to 
nought. This night the grand vizier’s son is to 
marry the Princess Buddir al Buddoor.” 

At this account, Aladdin was thunderstruck, and 
he bethought himself of the lamp, and of the genie 
who had promised to obey him; and without indulg¬ 
ing in idle words against the sultan, the vizier, or 
his son, he determined, if possible, to prevent the 
marriage. 

When Aladdin had got into his chamber, he took 
the lamp, rubbed it in the same place as before, when 
immediately the genie appeared, and said to him, 
“ What wouldst thou have? I am ready to obey 
thee as thy slave; I, and the other slaves of the 
lamp.” “ Hear me,” said Aladdin; “thou hast 
hitherto obeyed me, but now I am about to impose 


74 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

on thee a harder task. The sultan’s daughter, who 
was promised me as my bride, is this night married 
to the son of the grand vizier. Bring them both 
hither to me immediately they retire to their bed¬ 
chamber.” 

“ Master,” replied the genie, “ I obey you.” 

Aladdin supped with his mother as was their 
wont, and then went to his own apartment, and sat 
up to await the return of the genie, according to his 
commands. 

In the mean time the festivities in honour of the 
princess’s marriage were conducted in the sultan’s 
palace with great magnificence. The ceremonies 
were at last brought to a conclusion, and the princess 
and the son of the vizier retired to the bedchamber 
prepared for them. No sooner had they entered it, 
and dismissed their attendants, than the genie, the 
faithful slave of the lamp, to the great amazement 
and alarm of the bride and bridegroom, took up the 
bed, and by an agency invisible to them, transported 
it in an instant into Aladdin’s chamber, where he 
set it down. “ Remove the bridegroom,” said 
Aladdin to the genie, “ and keep him a prisoner till 
to-morrow dawn, and then return with him here.” 
On Aladdin being left alone with the princess, he 
endeavoured to assuage her fears, and explained to 
her the treachery practiced upon him by the sultan 
her father. He then laid himself down beside her, 
putting a drawn scimitar between them, to show that 
he was determined to secure her safety, and to treat 
her with the utmost possible respect. At break of 
day, the genie appeared at the appointed hour, 
bringing back the bridegroom, whom by breathing 


Story of Aladdin; or. The Wonderful Lamp 75 

upon he had left motionless and entranced at the 
door of Aladdin’s chamber during the night, and at 
Aladdin’s command transported the couch with the 
bride and bridegroom on it, by the same invisible 
agency, into the palace of the sultan. 

At the instant that the genie had set down the 
couch with the bride and bridegroom in their own 
chamber, the sultan came to the door to offer his good 
wishes to his daughter. The grand vizier’s son, 
who was almost perished with cold, by standing in 
his thin under-garment all night, no sooner heard 
the knocking at the door than he got out of bed, 
and ran into the robing-chamber, where he had un¬ 
dressed himself the night before. 

The sultan having opened the door, went to the 
bedside, kissed the princess on the forehead, but was 
extremely surprised to see her look so melancholy. 
She only cast at him a sorrowful look, expressive 
of great affliction. He suspected there was some¬ 
thing extraordinary in this silence, and thereupon 
went immediately to the sultaness’s apartment, told 
her in what a state he found the princess, and how 
she had received him. “ Sire,” said the sultaness, 
“ I will go and see her; she will not receive me in 
the same manner.” 

The princess received her mother with sighs and 
tears, and signs of deep dejection. At last, upon 
her pressing on her the duty of telling her all her 
thoughts, she gave to the sultaness a precise descrip¬ 
tion of all that happened to her during the night; on 
which the sultaness enjoined on her the necessity of 
silence and discretion, as no one would give credence 
to so strange a tale. The grand vizier’s son, elated 


76 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 


with the honour of being the sultan’s son-in-law, 
kept silence on his part, and the events of the night 
were not allowed to cast the least gloom on the fes¬ 
tivities on the following day, in continued celebra¬ 
tion of the royal marriage. 

When night came, the bride and bridegroom were 
again attended to their chamber with the same cere¬ 
monies as on the preceding evening. Aladdin, know¬ 
ing that this would be so, had already given his com¬ 
mands to the genie of the lamp; and no sooner were 
they alone than their bed was removed in the same 
mysterious manner as on the preceding evening; and 
having passed the night in the same unpleasant way, 
they were in the morning conveyed to the palace of 
the sultan. Scarcely had they been replaced in their 
apartment, when the sultan came to make his com¬ 
pliments to his daughter, when the princess could no 
longer conceal from him the unhappy treatment she 
had been subject to, and told him all that had hap¬ 
pened as she had already related it to her mother. 
The sultan, on hearing these strange tidings, con¬ 
sulted with the grand vizier; and finding from him 
that his son had been subjected to even worse treat¬ 
ment by an invisible agency, he determined to de¬ 
clare the marriage to be cancelled, and all the fes¬ 
tivities, which were yet to last for several days, to 
be countermanded and terminated. 

This sudden change in the mind of the sultan gave 
rise to various speculations and reports. Nobody 
but Aladdin knew the secret, and he kept it with the 
most scrupulous silence; and neither the sultan nor 
the grand vizier, who had forgotten Aladdin and his 
request, had the least thought that he had any hand 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 77 

in the strange adventures that befell the bride and 
bridegroom. 

On the very day that the three months contained 
in the sultan’s promise expired, the mother of Alad¬ 
din again went to the palace, and stood in the same 
place in the divan. The sultan knew her again, and 
directed his vizier to have her brought before him. 

After having prostrated herself, she made answer, 
in reply to the sultan: “ Sire, I come at the end of 
three months to ask of you the fulfillment of the 
promise you made to my son.” The sultan little 
thought the request of Aladdin’s mother was made to 
him in earnest, or that he would hear any more of 
the matter. He therefore took counsel with his 
vizier, who suggested that the sultan should attach 
such conditions to the marriage that no one of the 
humble condition of Aladdin could possibly fulfill. 
In accordance with this suggestion of the vizier, the 
sultan replied to the mother of Aladdin: “ Good 
woman, it is true sultans ought to abide by their 
word, and I am ready to keep mine, by making your 
son happy in marriage with the princess my 
daughter. But as I cannot marry her without some 
further proof of your son being able to support her 
in royal state, you may tell him I will fulfill my 
promise as soon as he shall send me forty trays of 
massy gold, full of the same sort of jewels you have 
already made me a present of, and carried by the 
like number of black slaves, who shall be led by as 
many young and handsome white slaves, all dressed 
magnificently. On these conditions I am ready to 
bestow the princess my daughter upon him; there- 


78 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

fore, good woman, go and tell him so, and I will 
wait till you bring me his answer.” 

Aladdin’s mother prostrated herself a second time 
before the sultan’s throne, and retired. On her way 
home, she laughed within herself at her son’s foolish 
imagination. “ Where,” said she, “ can he get so 
many large gold trays, and such precious stones to 
fill them? It is altogether out of his power, and I 
believe he will not be much pleased with my em¬ 
bassy this time.” When she came home, full of 
these thoughts, she told Aladdin all the circum¬ 
stances of her interview with the sultan, and the con¬ 
ditions on which he consented to the marriage. 
“ The sultan expects your answer immediately,” said 
she; and then added, laughing, “ I believe he may 
wait long enough! ” 

“ Not so long, mother, as you imagine,” replied 
Aladdin. “ This demand is a mere trifle, and will 
prove no bar to my marriage with the princess. I 
will prepare at once to satisfy his request.” 

Aladdin retired to his own apartment and sum¬ 
moned the genie of the lamp, and required him to 
prepare and present the gift immediately, before the 
sultan closed his morning audience, according to the 
terms in which it had been prescribed. The genie 
professed his obedience to the owner of the lamp, 
and disappeared. Within a very short time, a train 
of forty black slaves, led by the same number of 
white slaves, appeared opposite the house in which 
Aladdin lived. Each black slave carried on his head 
a basin of massy gold, full of pearls, diamonds, 
rubies, and emeralds. Aladdin then addressed his 
mother: “ Madam, pray lose no time; before the sub 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 79 

tan and the divan rise, I would have you return to 
the palace with this present as the dowry demanded 
for the princess, that he may judge by my diligence 
and exactness of the ardent and sincere desire I 
have to procure myself the honour of this alliance.” 

As soon as this magnificent procession, with Alad¬ 
din's mother at its head, had begun to march from 
Aladdin's house, the whole city was filled with the 
crowds of people desirous to see so grand a sight. 
The graceful bearing, elegant form, and wonderful 
likeness of each slave; their grave walk at an equal 
distance from each other, the lustre of their jewelled 
girdles, and the brilliancy of the aigrettes of precious 
stones in their turbans, excited the greatest admira¬ 
tion in the spectators. As they had to pass through 
several streets to the palace, the whole length of the 
way was lined with files of spectators. Nothing, in¬ 
deed, was ever seen so beautiful and brilliant in the 
sultan's palace, and the richest robes of the emirs of 
his court were not to be compared to the costly 
dresses of these slaves, whom they supposed to be 
kings. 

As the sultan, who had been informed of their ap¬ 
proach, had given orders for them to be admitted, 
they met with no obstacle, but went into the divan in 
regular order, one part turning to the right and the 
other to the left. After they were all entered, and 
had formed a semicircle before the sultan’s throne, 
the black slaves laid the golden trays on the carpet, 
prostrated themselves, touching the carpet with their 
foreheads, and at the same time the white slaves 
did the same. When they rose, the black slaves un- 


80 Fairy Talcs Every Child Should Know 

covered the trays, and then all stood with their arms 
crossed over their breasts. 

In the mean time, Aladdin’s mother advanced to 
the foot of the throne, and having prostrated herself, 
said to the sultan, “ Sire, my son knows this pres¬ 
ent is much below the notice of Princess Buddir al 
Buddoor; but hopes, nevertheless, that your majesty 
will accept of it, and make it agreeable to the prin¬ 
cess, and with the greater confidence since he has 
endeavoured to conform to the conditions you were 
pleased to impose.” 

The sultan, overpowered at the sight of such more 
than royal magnificence, replied without hesitation 
to the words of Aladdin’s mother: “ Go and tell your 
son that I wait with open arms to embrace him; and 
the more haste he makes to come and receive the 
princess my daughter from my hands, the greater 
pleasure he will do me.” As soon as Aladdin’s 
mother had retired, the sultan put an end to the 
audience; and rising from his throne ordered that 
the princess’s attendants should come and carry the 
trays into their mistress’s apartment, whither he 
went himself to examine them with her at his leisure. 
The fourscore slaves were conducted into the pal¬ 
ace ; and the sultan, telling the princess of their mag¬ 
nificent apparel, ordered them to be brought before 
her apartment, that she might see through the lat¬ 
tices he had not exaggerated in his account of them. 

In the meantime Aladdin’s mother reached home, 
and showed in her air and countenance the good 
news she brought to her son. “ My son,” said she, 
“ you may rejoice you are arrived at the height of 
your desires. The sultan has declared that you shall 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 81 

marry the Princess Buddir al Buddoor. He waits 
for you with impatience.” 

Aladdin, enraptured with this news, made his 
mother very little reply, but retired to his chamber. 
There he rubbed his lamp, and the obedient genie 
appeared. “ Genie,” said Aladdin, “ convey me at 
once to a bath, and supply me with the richest and 
most magnificent robe ever worn by a monarch.” 
No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the 
genie rendered him, as well as himself, invisible, 
and transported him into a bath of the finest marble 
of all sorts of colours; where he was undressed, 
without seeing by whom, in a magnificent and spa¬ 
cious hall. He was then well rubbed and washed 
with various scented waters. After he had passed 
through several degrees of heat, he came out quite 
a different man from what he was before. His skin 
was clear as that of a child, his body lightsome and 
free; and when he returned into the hall, he found, 
instead of his own poor raiment, a robe, the mag¬ 
nificence of which astonished him. The genie helped 
him to dress, and when he had done, transported him 
back to his own chamber, where he asked him if 
he had any other commands. “Yes,” answered 
Aladdin, “ bring me a charger that surpasses in 
beauty and goodness the best in the sultan’s stables; 
with a saddle, bridle, and other caparisons to cor¬ 
respond with his value. Furnish also twenty slaves, 
as richly clothed as those who carried the present to 
the sultan, to walk by my side and follow me, and 
twenty more to go before me in two ranks. Besides 
these, bring my mother six women slaves to attend 
her, as richly dressed at least as any of the Princess 


82 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

Buddir al Buddoor’s, each carrying a complete dress 
fit for any sultaness. I want also ten thousand 
pieces of gold in ten purses; go, and make haste.” 

As soon as Aladdin had given these orders, the 
genie disappeared, but presently returned with the 
horse, the forty slaves, ten of whom carried each 
a purse containing ten thousand pieces of gold, and 
six women slaves, each carrying on her head a 
different dress for Aladdin’s mother, wrapt up in 
a piece of silver tissue, and presented them all to 
Aladdin. 

He presented the six women slaves to his mother, 
telling her they were her slaves, and that the dresses 
they had brought were for her use. Of the ten 
purses Aladdin took four, which he gave to his 
mother, telling her, those were to supply her with 
necessaries; the other six he left in the hands of the 
slaves who brought them, with an order to throw 
them by handfuls among the people as they went to 
the sultan’s palace. The six slaves who carried the 
purses he ordered likewise to march before him, 
three on the right hand and three on the left. 

When Aladdin had thus prepared himself for his 
first interview with the sultan, he dismissed the 
genie, and immediately mounting his charger, began 
his march, and though he never was on horseback 
before, appeared with a grace the most e xperienced 
horseman might envy. The innumerable concourse 
of people through whom he passed made the air echo 
with their acclamations, especially every time the six 
slaves who carried the purses threw handfuls of gold 
among the populace. 

On Aladdin’s arrival at the palace, the sultan was 


Story of Aladdin ; or, The Wonderful Lamp 83 

surprised to find him more richly and magnificently 
robed than he had ever been himself, and was im¬ 
pressed with his good looks and dignity of manner, 
which were so different from what he expected in 
the son of one so humble as Aladdin’s mother. He 
embraced him with all the demonstrations of joy, 
and when he would have fallen at his feet, held him 
by the hand, and made him sit near his throne. He 
shortly after led him amidst the sounds of trumpets, 
hautboys, and all kinds of music, to a magnificent 
entertainment, at which the sultan and Aladdin ate 
by themselves, and the great lords of the court, 
according to their rank and dignity, sat at different 
tables. After the feast, the sultan sent for the chief 
cadi, and commanded him to draw up a contract of 
marriage between the Princess Buddir al Buddoor 
and Aladdin. When the contract had been drawn, 
the sultan asked Aladdin if he would stay in the pal¬ 
ace and complete the ceremonies of the marriage 
that day. “ Sire,” said Aladdin, “ though great is 
my impatience to enter on the honour granted me bv 
your majesty, yet I beg you to permit me first to 
build a palace worthy to receive the princess your 
daughter. I pray you to grant me sufficient ground 
near your palace, and I will have it completed with 
the utmost expedition.” The sultan granted Alad¬ 
din his request, and again embraced him. After 
which he took his leave with as ljiuch politeness as if 
he had been bred up and had always lived at court. 

Aladdin returned home in the order he had come, 
amidst the acclamations of the people, who wished 
him all happiness and prosperity. As soon as he dis¬ 
mounted, he retired to his own chamber, took the 


84 Fairy Talcs Every Child Should Know 


lamp, and summoned the genie as usual, who pro¬ 
fessed his allegiance. “ Genie/’ said Aladdin, “ build 
me a palace fit to receive the Princess Buddir al 
Buddoor. Let its materials be made of nothing less 
than porphyry, jasper, agate, lapis lazuli, and the fin¬ 
est marble. Let its walls be massive gold and silver 
bricks laid alternately. Let each front contain six 
windows, and let the lattices of these (except one, 
which must be left unfinished) be enriched with 
diamonds, rubies, and emeralds, so that they shall 
exceed everything of the kind ever seen in the 
world. Let there be an inner and outer court in 
front of the palace, and a spacious garden; but above 
all things, provide a safe treasure-house, and fill it 
with gold and silver. Let there be also kitchens and 
storehouses, stables full of the finest horses, with 
their equerries and grooms, and hunting equipage, 
officers, attendants, and slaves, both men and 
women, to form a retinue for the princess and my¬ 
self. Go and execute my wishes.” 

When Aladdin gave these commands to the genie, 
the sun was set. The next morning at daybreak the 
genie presented himself, and, having obtained Alad¬ 
din’s consent, transported him in a moment to the 
palace he had made. The genie led him through all 
the apartments, where he found officers and slaves, 
habited according to their rank and the services to 
which they were appointed. The genie then showed 
him the treasury, which was opened by a treasurer, 
where Aladdin saw large vases of different sizes, 
piled up to the top with money, ranged all round the 
chamber. The genie thence led him to the stables, 
where were some of the finest horses in the world. 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 85 

and the grooms busy in dressing them; from thence 
they went to the storehouses, which were filled with 
all things necessary, both for food and ornament. 

When Aladdin had examined every portion of the 
palace, and particularly the hall with the four-and- 
twenty windows, and found it far to exceed his 
fondest expectations, he said, “ Genie, there is one 
thing wanting, a fine carpet for the princess to walk 
upon from the sultan’s palace to mine. Lay one 
down immediately.” The genie disappeared, and 
Aladdin saw what he desired executed in an instant. 
The genie then returned, and carried him to his own 
home. 

When the sultan’s porters came to open the gates, 
they were amazed to find what had been an un¬ 
occupied garden filled up with a magnificent palace, 
and a splendid carpet extending to it all the way 
from the sultan’s palace. They told the strange tid¬ 
ings to the grand vizier, who informed the sultan, 
who exclaimed, “ It must be Aladdin’s palace, which 
I gave him leave to build for my daughter. He has 
wished to surprise us, and let us see what wonders 
can be done in only one night.” 

Aladdin, on his being conveyed by the genie to his 
own home, requested his mother to go to the 
Princess Buddir al Buddoor, and tell her that the 
palace would be ready for her reception in the 
evening. She went, attended by her women slaves, 
in the same order as on the preceding day. Shortly 
after her arrival at the princess’s apartment, the 
sultan himself came in, and was surprised to find 
her, whom he knew as his suppliant at his divan in 
such humble guise, to be now more richly and 


86 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

sumptuously attired than his own daughter. This 
gave him a higher opinion of Aladdin, who took 
such care of his mother, and made her share his 
wealth and honours. Shortly after her departure, 
Aladdin, mounting his horse, and attended by his 
retinue of magnificent attendants, left his paternal 
home forever, and went to the palace in the same 
pomp as on the day before. Nor did he forget to 
take with him the Wonderful Lamp, to which he 
owed all his good fortune, nor to wear the Ring 
which was given him as a talisman. The sultan en¬ 
tertained Aladdin with the utmost magnificence, and 
at night, on the conclusion of the marriage cere¬ 
monies, the princess took leave of the sultan her 
father. Bands of music led the procession, followed 
by a hundred state ushers, and the like number of 
black mutes, in two files, with their officers at their 
head. Four hundred of the sultan’s young pages 
carried flambeaux on each side, which, together with 
the illuminations of the sultan’s and Aladdin’s pal¬ 
aces, made it as light as day. In this order the 
princess, conveyed in her litter, and accompanied 
also by Aladdin’s mother, carried in a superb litter 
and attended by her women slaves, proceeded on the 
carpet which was spread from the sultan’s palace to 
that of Aladdin. On her arrival Aladdin was ready 
to receive her at the entrance, and lecl»her into a 
large hall, illuminated with an infinite number of 
wax candles, where a noble feast was served up. 
The dishes were of massy gold, and contained the 
most delicate viands. The vases, basins, and gob¬ 
lets were gold also, and of exquisite workmanship, 
and all the other ornaments and embellishments of 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 87 

the hall were answerable to this display. The 
princess, dazzled to see so much riches collected in 
one place, said to Aladdin, “ I thought, prince, that 
nothing in the world was so beautiful as the sultan 
my father’s palace, but the sight of this hall alone 
is sufficient to show I was deceived.” 

When the supper was ended, there entered a com¬ 
pany of female dancers, who performed, according 
to the custom of the country, singing at the same 
time verses in praise of the bride and bridegroom. 
About midnight Aladdin’s mother conducted the 
bride to the nuptial apartment, and he soon after 
retired. 

The next morning the attendants of Aladdin pre¬ 
sented themselves to dress him, and brought him 
another habit, as rich and magnificent as that worn 
the day before. He then ordered one of the horses 
to be got ready, mounted him, and went in the midst 
of a large troop of slaves to the sultan’s palace to 
entreat him to take a repast in the princess’s palace, 
attended by his grand vizier and all the lords of his 
court. The sultan consented with pleasure, rose up 
immediately, and, preceded by the principal officers 
of his palace, and followed by all the great lords of 
his court, accompanied Aladdin. 

The nearer the sultan approached Aladdin’s pal¬ 
ace, the more he was struck with its beauty; but 
when he entered it, came into the hall, and saw the 
windows, enriched with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, 
all large perfect stones, he was completely surprised, 
and said to his son-in-law, “ This palace is one of 
the wonders of the world; for where in all the world 
besides shall we find walls built of massy gold and 


88 Fairy Talcs Every Child Should Knoiv 

silver, and diamonds, rubies, and emeralds compos¬ 
ing the windows? But what most surprises me is, 
that a hall of this magnificence should be left with 
one of its windows incomplete and unfinished.” 
“ Sire,” answered Aladdin, “ the omission was by 
design, since I wished that you should have the 
glory of finishing this hall.” “ I take your intention 
kindly,” said the sultan, “ and will give orders about 
it immediately.” 

After the sultan had finished this magnificent en¬ 
tertainment, provided for him and for his court by 
Aladdin, he was informed that the jewellers and 
goldsmiths attended; upon which he returned to the 
hall, and showed them the window which was un¬ 
finished. “ I sent for you,” said he, “ to fit up this 
window in as great perfection as the rest. Examine 
them well, and make all the dispatch you can.” 

The jewellers and goldsmiths examined the three- 
and-twenty windows with great attention, and after 
they had consulted together, to know what each 
could furnish, they returned, and presented them¬ 
selves before the sultan, whose principal jeweller, 
undertaking to speak for the rest, said, “ Sire, we 
are all willing to exert our utmost care and industry 
to obey you; but among us all we cannot furnish 
jewels enough for so great a work.” “ I have more 
than are necessary,” said the sultan; “ come to my 
palace, and you shall choose what may answer your 
purpose.” 

When the sultan returned to his palace, he ordered 
his jewels to be brought out, and the jewellers took 
a great quantity, particularly those Aladdin had 
made him a present of, which they soon used, with- 


Story of 'Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 89 

out making any great advance in their work. They 
came again several times for more, and in a month’s 
time had not finished half their work. In short, 
they used all the jewels the sultan had, and bor¬ 
rowed of the vizier, but yet the work was not half 
done. 

Aladdin, who knew that all the sultan’s endeav¬ 
ours to make this window like the rest were in vain, 
sent for the jewellers and goldsmiths, and not only 
commanded them to desist from their work, but 
ordered them to undo what they had begun, and to 
carry all their jewels back to the sultan and to the 
vizier. They undid in a few hours what they had 
been six weeks about, and retired, leaving Aladdin 
alone in the hall. He took the lamp, which he car¬ 
ried about him, rubbed it, and presently the genie 
appeared. “ Genie,” said Aladdin, “ I ordered thee 
to leave one of the four-and-twenty windows of this 
hall imperfect, and thou hast executed my com¬ 
mands punctually; now I would have thee make it 
like the rest.” The genie immediately disappeared. 
Aladdin went out of the hall, and returning soon 
after, found the window, as he wished it to be, like 
the other's. 

In the mean time, the jewellers and goldsmiths 
repaired to the palace, and were introduced into the 
sultan’s presence; where the chief jeweller presented 
the precious stones which he had brought back. The 
sultan asked them if Aladdin had given them any 
reason for so doing, and they answering that he had 
given them none, he ordered a horse to be brought, 
which he mounted, and rode to his son-in-law’s pal¬ 
ace, with some few attendants on foot, to inquire 


90 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

why he had ordered the completion of the window 
to be stopped. Aladdin met him at the gate, and 
without giving any reply to his inquiries conducted 
him to the grand saloon, where the sultan, to his 
great surprise, found the window, which was left 
imperfect, to correspond exactly with the others. 
He fancied at first that he was mistaken, and ex¬ 
amined the two windows on each side, and after¬ 
ward all the four-and-twenty; but when he was con¬ 
vinced that the window which several workmen had 
been so long about was finished in so short a time, 
he embraced Aladdin and kissed him between his 
eyes. “ My son/’ said he, “ what a man you are to 
do such surprising things always in the twinkling 
of an eye! there is not your fellow in the world; the 
more I know, the more I admire you.” 

The sultan returned to the palace, and after this 
went frequently to the window to contemplate and 
admire the wonderful palace of his son-in-law. 

Aladdin did not confine himself in his palace, but 
went with much state, sometimes to one mosque, 
and sometimes to another, to prayers, or to visit the 
grand vizier or the principal lords of the court. 
Every time he went out, he caused two slaves, who 
walked by the side of his horse, to throw handfuls 
of money among the people as he passed through 
the streets and squares. This generosity gained him 
the love and blessings of the people, and it was com¬ 
mon for them to swear by his head. Thus Aladdin, 
while he paid all respect to the sultan, won by his 
affable behaviour and liberality the affections of the 
people. 

Aladdin had conducted himself in this manner 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 91 

several years, when the African magician, who had 
for some years dismissed him from his recollection, 
determined to inform himself with certainty whether 
he perished, as he supposed, in the subterranean 
cave or not. After he had resorted to a long course 
of magic ceremonies, and had formed a horoscope 
by which to ascertain Aladdin’s fate, what was his 
surprise to find the appearances to declare that 
Aladdin, instead of dying in the cave, had made his 
escape, and was living in royal splendour, by the aid 
of the genie of the wonderful lamp! 

On the very next day, the magician set out and 
travelled with the utmost haste to the capital of 
China, where, on his arrival, he took up his lodgings 
in a khan. 

He then quickly learnt about the wealth, char¬ 
ities, happiness, and splendid palace of Prince Alad¬ 
din. Directly he saw the wonderful fabric, he knew 
that none but the genies, the slaves of the lamp, 
could have performed such wonders, and, piqued to 
the quick at Aladdin’s high estate, he returned to 
the khan. 

On his return he had recourse to an operation of 
geomancy to find out where the lamp was—whether 
Aladdin carried it about with him, or where he left 
it. The result of his consultation informed him, to 
his great joy, that the lamp was in the palace. 
“ Well,” said he, rubbing his hands in glee, “ I shall 
have the lamp, and I shall make Aladdin return to 
his original mean condition.” 

The next day the magician learnt, from the chief 
superintendent of the khan where he lodged, that 
Aladdin had gone on a hunting expedition, which 


92 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

was to last for eight days, of which only three had 
expired. The magician wanted to know no more. 
He resolved at once on his plans. He went to a 
coppersmith, and asked for a dozen copper lamps: 
the master of the shop told him he had not so many 
by him, but if he would have patience till the next 
day, he would have them ready. The magician ap¬ 
pointed his time, and desired him to take care that 
they should be handsome and well polished. 

The next day the magician called for the twelve 
lamps, paid the man his full price, put them into a 
basket hanging on his arm, and went directly to 
Aladdin’s palace. As he approached, he began cry¬ 
ing, “ Who will exchange old lamps for new ones ? ” 
As he went along, a crowd of children collected, 
who hooted, and thought him, as did all who 
chanced to be passing by, a madman or a fool, to 
offer to change new lamps for old ones. 

The African magician regarded not their scoffs, 
hootings, or all they could say to him, but still con¬ 
tinued crying, “ Who will change old lamps for new 
ones ? ” He repeated this so often, walking back¬ 
ward and forward in front of the palace, that the 
princess, who was then in the hall with the four- 
and-twenty windows, hearing a man cry something, 
and seeing a great mob crowding about him, sent 
one of her women slaves to know what he cried. 

The slave returned, laughing so heartily that the 
princess rebuked her. “ Madam,” answered the 
slave, laughing still, “ who can forbear laughing, to 
see an old man with a basket on his arm, full of fine 
new lamps, asking to change them for old ones? the 
children and mob crowding about him, so that he 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 93 

can hardly stir, make all the noise they can in deri¬ 
sion of him.” 

Another female slave hearing this, said, “ Now 
you speak of lamps, I know not whether the princess 
may have observed it, but there is an old one upon 
a shelf of the Prince Aladdin’s robing room, and 
whoever owns it will not be sorry to find a new 
one in its stead. If the princess chooses, she may 
have the pleasure of trying if this old man is so 
silly as to give a new lamp for an old one, without 
taking anything for the exchange.” 

The princess, who knew not the value of this 
lamp, and the interest that Aladdin had to keep it 
safe, entered into the pleasantry, and commanded a 
slave to take it and make the exchange. The slave 
obeyed, went out of the hall, and no sooner got to 
the palace gates than he saw the African magician, 
called to him, and showing him the old lamp, said, 
“ Give me a new lamp for this.” 

The magician never doubted but this was the 
lamp he wanted. There could be no other such in 
this palace, where every utensil was gold or silver. 
He snatched it eagerly out of the slave’s hand, and 
thrusting it as far as he could into his breast, offered 
him his basket, and bade him choose which he liked 
best. The slave picked out one and carried it to the 
princess; but the change was no sooner made than 
the place rung with the shouts of the children, de¬ 
riding the magician’s folly. 

The African magician stayed no longer near the 
palace, nor cried any more, “ New lamps for old 
ones,” but made the best of his way to his khan. 


94 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

His end was answered, and by his silence he got rid 
of the children and the mob. 

As soon as he was out of sight of the two palaces, 
he hastened down the least-frequented streets; and 
having no more occasion for his lamps or basket, 
set all down in a spot where nobody saw him; then 
going down another street or two, he walked till 
he came to one of the city gates, and pursuing his 
way through the suburbs, which were very exten¬ 
sive, at length reached a lonely spot, where he 
stopped till the darkness of the night, as the most 
suitable time for the design he had in contemplation. 
When it became quite dark, he pulled the lamp out 
of his breast and rubbed it. At that summons the 
genie appeared, and said, “ What wouldst thou 
have ? I am ready to obey thee as thy slave, and the 
slave of all those who have that lamp in their hands; 
both I and the other slaves of the lamp.” “ I com¬ 
mand thee,” replied the magician, “ to transport me 
immediately, and the palace which thou and the 
other slaves of the lamp have built in this city, with 
all the people in it, to Africa.” The genie made no 
reply, but with the assistance of the other genies, 
the slaves of the lamp, immediately transported him 
and the palace, entire, to the spot whither he had 
been desired to convey it. 

Early the next morning, when the sultan, accord¬ 
ing to custom, went to contemplate and admire Alad¬ 
din’s place, his amazement was unbounded to find 
that it could nowhere be seen. He could not com¬ 
prehend how so large a palace which he had seen 
plainly every day for some years, should vanish so 
soon, and not leave the least remains behind. In 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 95 

his perplexity he ordered the grand vizier to be sent 
for with expedition. 

The grand vizier, who, in secret, bore no good 
will to Aladdin, intimated his suspicion that the pal¬ 
ace was built by magic, and that Aladdin had made 
his hunting excursion an excuse for the removal of 
his palace with the same suddenness with which it 
had been erected. He induced the sultan to send 
a detachment of his guard, and to have Aladdin 
seized as a prisoner of state. On his son-in-law be¬ 
ing brought before him, he would not hear a word 
from him, but ordered him to be put to death. The 
decree caused so much discontent among the people, 
whose affection Aladdin had secured by his largesses 
and charities, that the sultan, fearful of an insur¬ 
rection, was obliged to grant him his life. When 
Aladdin found himself at liberty, he again addressed 
the sultan: “ Sire, I pray you to let me know the 
crime by which I have thus lost the favour of thy 
countenance.” “ Your crime! ” answered the sultan, 
“ wretched man! do you not know it ? Follow me, 
and I will show you.” The sultan then took Aladdin 
into the apartment from whence he was wont to look 
at and admire his palace, and said, “ You ought to 
know where your palace stood; look, mind, and tell 
me what has become of it.” Aladdin did so, and be¬ 
ing utterly amazed at the loss of his palace, was 
speechless. At last recovering himself, he said, “ It 
is true, I do not see the palace. It is vanished; but 
I had no concern in its removal. I beg you to give 
me forty days, and if in that time I cannot restore it, 
I will offer my head to be disposed of at your pleas¬ 
ure.” “ I give you the time you ask, but at the end 


g 6 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

of the forty days, forget not to present yourself be¬ 
fore me.” 

Aladdin went out of the sultan’s palace in a condi¬ 
tion of exceeding humiliation. The lords who had 
courted him in the days of his splendour, now de¬ 
clined to have any communication with him. For 
three days he wandered about the city, exciting the 
wonder and compassion of the multitude by asking 
everybody he met if they had seen his palace, or 
could tell him anything of it. On the third day he 
wandered into the country, and as he was approach¬ 
ing a river, he fell down the bank with so much vio¬ 
lence that he rubbed the ring which the magician 
had given him so hard by holding on the rock to 
save himself, that immediately the same genie ap¬ 
peared whom he had seen in the cave where the ma¬ 
gician had left him. “ What wouldst thou have? ” 
said the genie, “ I am ready to obey thee as thy 
slave, and the slave of all those that have that ring 
on their finger; both I and the other slaves of the 
ring.” 

Aladdin, agreeably surprised at an offer of help 
so little expected, replied, “ Genie, show me where 
the palace I caused to be built now stands, or trans¬ 
port it back where it first stood.” “ Your com¬ 
mand,” answered the genie, “ is not wholly in my 
power; I am only the slave of the ring, and not of 
the lamp.” “ I command thee, then,” replied Alad¬ 
din, “ by the power of the ring, to transport me to 
the spot where my palace stands, in what part of the 
world soever it may be.” These words were no 
sooner out of his mouth, than the genie transported 
him into Africa, to the midst of a large plain, where 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 97 

his palace stood, at no great distance from a city, 
and placing him exactly under the window of the 
princess’s apartment, left him. 

Now it so happened that shortly after Aladdin had 
been transported by the slave of the ring to the 
neighbourhood of his palace, that one of the attend¬ 
ants of the Princess Buddir al Buddoor, looking 
through the window, perceived him and instantly 
told her mistress. The princess, who could not be¬ 
lieve the joyful tidings, hastened herself to the win¬ 
dow, and seeing Aladdin, immediately opened it. 
The noise of opening the window made Aladdin turn 
his head that way, and perceiving the princess, he 
saluted her with an air that expressed his joy. “ To 
lose no time,” said she to him, “ I have sent to have 
the private door opened for you; enter and come 
up.” 

The private door, which was just under the prin¬ 
cess’s apartment, was soon opened, and Aladdin con¬ 
ducted up into the chamber. It is impossible to ex¬ 
press the joy of both at seeing each other, after so 
cruel a separation. After embracing and shedding 
tears of joy, they sat down, and Aladdin said, “ I 
beg of you, princess, to tell me what is become of an 
old lamp which stood upon a shelf in my robing- 
chamber.” 

“ Alas! ” answered the princess, “ I was afraid our 
misfortune might be owing to that lamp; and what 
grieves me most is, that I have been the cause of it. 
I was foolish enough to change the old lamp for a 
new one, and the next morning I found myself in 
this unknown country, which I am told is Africa.” 

“ Princess,” said Aladdin, interrupting her, “ you 


98 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

have explained all by telling me we are in Africa. 
I desire you only to tell me if you know where the 
old lamp now is.” “ The African magician carries it 
carefully wrapt up in his bosom,” said the princess; 
“ and this I can assure you, because he pulled it out 
before me, and showed it to me in triumph.” 

“ Princess,” said Aladdin, “ I think I have found 
the means to deliver you and to regain possession of 
the lamp, on which all my prosperity depends; to 
execute this design it is necessary for me to go to 
the town. I shall return by noon, and will then tell 
you what must be done by you to insure success. In 
the mean time, I shall disguise myself, and beg that 
the private door may be opened at the first knock.” 

When Aladdin was out of the palace, he looked 
round him on all sides, and perceiving a peasant 
going into the country, hastened after him; and 
when he had overtaken him, made a proposal to him 
to change clothes, which the man agreed to. When 
they had made the exchange, the countryman went 
about his business, and Aladdin entered the neigh¬ 
bouring city. After traversing several streets, he 
came to that part of the town where the merchants 
and artisans had their particular streets according 
to their trades. He went into that of the druggists; 
and entering one of the largest and best furnished 
shops, asked the druggist if he had a certain powder, 
which he named. 

The druggist, judging Aladdin by his habit to be 
very poor, told him he had it, but that it was very 
dear; upon which Aladdin, penetrating his thoughts, 
pulled out his purse, and showing him some gold, 
asked for half a dram of the powder; which the 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 99 

druggist weighed and gave him, telling him the 
price was a piece of gold. Aladdin put the money 
into his hand, and hastened to the palace, which he 
entered at once by the private door. When he came 
into the princess’s apartments, he said to her, “ Prin¬ 
cess, you must take your part in the scheme which 
I propose for our deliverance. You must overcome 
your aversion to the magician, and assume a most 
friendly manner toward him, and ask him to oblige 
you by partaking of an entertainment in your apart¬ 
ments. Before he leaves, ask him to exchange cups 
with you, which he, gratified at the honour you do 
him, will gladly do, when you must give him the cup 
containing this powder. On drinking it he will in¬ 
stantly fall asleep, and we will obtain the lamp, 
whose slaves will do all our bidding, and restore us 
and the palace to the capital of China.” 

The princess obeyed to the utmost her husband’s 
instructions. She assumed a look of pleasure on 
the next visit of the magician, and asked him to an 
entertainment, which he most willingly accepted. At 
the close of the evening, during which the princess 
had tried all she could to please him, she asked him 
to exchange cups with her, and giving the signal, 
had the drugged cup brought to her, which she gave 
to the magician. He drank it out of compliment to 
the princess to the very last drop, when he fell back¬ 
ward lifeless on the sofa. 

The princess, in anticipation of the success of her 
scheme, had so placed her women from the great 
hall to the foot of the staircase, that the word was no 
sooner given that the African magician was fallen 
backward, than the door was opened, and Aladdin 


L. of C. 


ioo Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

admitted to the hall. The princess rose from her 
seat, and ran, overjoyed, to embrace him; but he 
stopped her, and said, “ Princess, retire to your 
apartment; and let me be left alone, while I en¬ 
deavour to transport you back to China as speedily 
as you were brought from thence.” 

When the princess, her women, and slaves were 
gone out of the hall, Aladdin shut the door, and go¬ 
ing directly to the dead body of the magician, opened 
his vest, took out the lamp which was carefully 
wrapped up, and rubbing it, the genie immediately 
appeared. “ Genie,” said Aladdin, “ I command thee 
to transport this palace instantly to the place from 
whence it was brought hither.” The genie bowed 
his head in token of obedience, and disappeared. Im¬ 
mediately the palace was transported into China, and 
its removal was only felt by two little shocks, the one 
when it was lifted up, the other when it was set 
down, and both in a very short interval of time. 

On the morning after the restoration of Aladdin’s 
palace, the sultan was looking out of his window, 
and mourning over the fate of his daughter, when 
he thought that he saw the vacancy created by the 
disappearance of the palace to be again filled up. 

On looking more attentively, he was convinced 
beyond the power of doubt that it was his son-in- 
law’s palace. Joy and gladness succeeded to sorrow 
and grief. He at once ordered a horse to be saddled, 
which he mounted that instant, thinking he could 
not make haste enough to the place. 

Aladdin rose that morning by daybreak, put on 
one of the most magnificent habits his wardrobe af¬ 
forded, and went up into the hall of twenty-four 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp ioi 

windows, from whence he perceived the sultan ap¬ 
proaching, and received him at the foot of the great 
staircase, helping him to dismount. 

He led the sultan into the princess’s apartment. 
The happy father embraced her with tears of joy; 
and the princess, on her side, afforded similar testi¬ 
monies of her extreme pleasure. After a short in¬ 
terval, devoted to mutual explanations of all that 
had happened, the sultan restored Aladdin to his 
favour, and expressed his regret for the apparent 
harshness with which he had treated him. “ My 
son,” said he, “ be not displeased at my proceedings 
against you; they arose from my paternal love, and 
therefore you ought to forgive the excesses to which 
it hurried me.” “ Sire,” replied Aladdin, “ I have 
not the least reason to complain of your conduct, 
since you did nothing but what your duty required. 
This infamous magician, the basest of men, was the 
sole cause of my misfortune.” 

The African magician, who was thus twice foiled 
in his endeavour to ruin Aladdin, had a younger 
brother, who was as skilful a magician as himself, 
and exceeded him in wickedness and hatred of man¬ 
kind. By mutual agreement they communicated 
with each other once a year, however widely sepa¬ 
rate might be their place of residence from each 
other. The younger brother not having received as 
usual his annual communication, prepared to take a 
horoscope and ascertain his brother’s proceedings. 
He, as well as his brother, always carried a geoman- 
tic square instrument about him; he prepared the 
sand, cast the points, and drew the figures. On ex¬ 
amining the planetary crystal, he found that his 


io2 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

brother was no longer living, but had been poisoned; 
and by another observation, that he was in the capi¬ 
tal of the kingdom of China; also, that the person 
who had poisoned him was of mean birth, though 
married to a princess, a sultan’s daughter. 

When the magician had informed himself of his 
brother’s fate, he resolved immediately to revenge 
his death, and at once departed for China; where, 
after crossing plains, rivers, mountains, deserts, and 
a long tract of country without delay, he arrived 
after incredible fatigues. When he came to the capi¬ 
tal of China, he took a lodging at a khan. His magic 
art soon revealed to him that Aladdin was the person 
who had been the cause of the death of his brother. 
He had heard, too, all the persons of repute in the 
city talking of a woman called Fatima, who was re¬ 
tired from the world, and of the miracles she 
wrought. As he fancied that this woman might be 
serviceable to him in the project he had conceived, 
he made more minute inquiries, and requested to be 
informed more particularly who that holy woman 
was, and what sort of miracles she performed. 

“ What! ” said the person whom he addressed, 
“ have you never seen or heard of her ? She is the 
admiration of the whole town, for her fasting, her 
austerities, and her exemplary life. Except Mon¬ 
days and Fridays, she never stirs out of her little 
cell; and on those days on which she comes into the 
town she does an infinite deal of good; for there is 
not a person who is diseased but she puts her hand 
on them and cures them.” 

Having ascertained the place where the hermitage 
of this holy woman was, the magician went at night, 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 103 

and, plunging a poniard into her heart, killed this 
good woman. In the morning he dyed his face of 
the same hue as hers, and arraying himself in her 
garb, taking her veil, the large necklace she wore 
round her waist, and her stick, went straight to the 
palace of Aladdin. 

As soon as the people saw the holy woman, as 
they imagined him to be, they presently gathered 
about him in a great crowd. Some begged his bless¬ 
ing, others kissed his hand, and others, more re¬ 
served, only the hem of his garment; while others, 
suffering from disease, stooped for him to lay his 
hands upon them; which he did, muttering some 
words in form of prayer, and, in short, counterfeiting 
so well, that everybody took him for the holy woman. 
He came at last to the square before Aladdin’s pal¬ 
ace. The crowd and the noise were so great that 
the princess, who was in the hall of four-and-twenty 
windows, heard it, and asked what was the matter. 
One of her women told her it was a great crowd of 
people collected about the holy woman to be cured 
of diseases by the imposition of her hands. 

The princess, who had long heard of this holy 
woman, but had never seen her, was very desirous to 
have some conversation with her; which the chief 
officer perceiving, told her it was an easy matter to 
bring her to her, if she desired and commanded it; 
and the princess expressing her wishes, he immedi¬ 
ately sent four slaves for the pretended holy woman. 

As soon as the crowd saw the attendants from the 
palace, they made way; and the magician, perceiving 
also that they were coming for him, advanced to 
meet them, overjoyed to find his plot succeed so 


104 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

well. “ Holy woman,” said one of the slaves, “ the 
princess wants to see you, and has sent us for 
you.” “ The princess does me too great an honour,” 
replied the false Fatima; “ I am ready to obey her 
command,” and at the same time followed the slaves 
to the palace. 

When the pretended Fatima had made her obei¬ 
sance, the princess said, “ My good mother, I have 
one thing to request, which you must not refuse me; 
it is, to stay with me, that you may edify me with 
your way of living, and that I may learn from your 
good example.” “ Princess,” said the counterfeit 
Fatima, “ I beg of you not to ask what I cannot con¬ 
sent to without neglecting my prayers and devotion.” 
“ That shall be no hindrance to you,” answered the 
princess; “ I have a great many apartments unoccu¬ 
pied ; you shall choose which you like best, and have 
as much liberty to perform your devotions as if you 
were in your own cell.” 

The magician, who really desired nothing more 
than to introduce himself into the palace, where it 
would be a much easier matter for him to execute 
his designs, did not long excuse himself from ac¬ 
cepting the obliging offer which the princess made 
him. “ Princess,” said he, “ whatever resolution a 
poor wretched woman as I am may have made to re¬ 
nounce the pomp and grandeur of this world, I dare 
not presume to oppose the will and commands of so 
pious and charitable a princess.” 

Upon this the princess, rising up, said, “ Come 
with me, I will show you what vacant apartments I 
have, that you may make choice of that you like 
best.” The magician followed the princess, and of 


Story of Aladdin; or. The Wonderful Lamp 105 

all the apartments she showed him, made choice of 
that which was the worst, saying that it was too 
good for him, and that he only accepted it to please 
her. 

Afterward the princess would have brought him 
back into the great hall to make him dine with her; 
but he, considering that he should then be obliged to 
show his face, which he had always taken care to con¬ 
ceal with Fatima’s veil, and fearing that the princess 
should find out that he was not Fatima, begged of 
her earnestly to excuse him, telling her that he never 
ate anything but bread and dried fruits, and desir¬ 
ing to eat that slight repast in his own apartment. 
The princess granted his request, saying, “ You may 
be as free here, good mother, as if you were in your 
own cell: I will order you a dinner, but remember I 
expect you as soon as you have finished your repast.” 

After the princess had dined, and the false Fa¬ 
tima had been sent for by one of the attendants, he 
again waited upon her. “ My good mother,” said 
the princess, “ I am overjoyed to see so holy a 
woman as yourself, who will confer a blessing upon 
this palace. But now I am speaking of the palace, 
pray how do you like it? And before I show it all 
to you, tell me first what you think of this hall.” 

Upon this question, the counterfeit Fatima sur¬ 
veyed the hall from one end to the other. When he 
had examined it well, he said to the princess, “ As far 
as such a solitary being as I am, who am un¬ 
acquainted with what the world calls beautiful, can 
judge, this hall is truly admirable; there wants but 
one thing.” “ What is that, good mother ? ” de¬ 
manded the princess; “ tell me, I conjure you. For 


106 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

my part, I always believed, and have heard say, it 
wanted nothing; but if it does, it shall be supplied.” 

“ Princess,” said the false Fatima, with great dis¬ 
simulation, “ forgive me the liberty I have taken; 
but my opinion is, if it can be of any importance, 
that if a roc’s egg were hung up in the middle of the 
dome, this hall would have no parallel in the four 
quarters of the world, and your palace would be the 
wonder of the universe.” 

“ My good mother,” said the princess, “ what is a 
roc, and where may one get an egg? ” “ Princess,” 
replied the pretended Fatima, “ it is a bird of pro¬ 
digious size, which inhabits the summit of Mount 
Caucasus; the architect who built your palace can 
get you one.” 

After the princess had thanked the false Fatima 
for what she believed her good advice, she con¬ 
versed with her upon other matters; but could not 
forget the roc’s egg, which she resolved to request 
of Aladdin when next he should visit his apartments. 
He did so in the course of that evening, and shortly 
after he entered, the princess thus addressed him: 
“ I always believed that our palace was the most 
superb, magnificent, and complete in the world: but 
I will tell you now what it wants, and that is a roc’s 
egg hung up in the midst of the dome.” “ Princess,” 
replied Aladdin, “ it is enough that you think it 
wants such an ornament; you shall see by the dili¬ 
gence which I use in obtaining it, that there is noth¬ 
ing which I would not do for your sake.” 

Aladdin left the Princess Buddir al Buddoor that 
moment, and went up into the hall of four-and- 
twenty windows, where, pulling out of his bosom the 


Story of Aladdin; or, The Wonderful Lamp 107 

lamp, which after the danger he had been exposed 
to he always carried about him, he rubbed it; upon 
which the genie immediately appeared. “ Genie,” 
said Aladdin, “ I command thee, in the name of this 
lamp, bring a roc’s egg to be hung up in the middle 
of the dome of the hall of the palace.” Aladdin had 
no sooner pronounced these words, than the hall 
shook as if ready to fall; and the genie said in a 
loud and terrible voice, “ Is it not enough that I 
and the other slaves of the lamp have done every¬ 
thing for you, but you, by an unheard-of ingratitude, 
must command me to bring my master, and hang 
him up in the midst of this dome ? This attempt de¬ 
serves that you, the princess, and the palace, should 
be immediately reduced to ashes; but you are spared 
because this request does not come from yourself. 
Its true author is the brother of the African magi¬ 
cian, your enemy whom you have destroyed. He 
is now in your palace, disguised in the habit of the 
holy woman Fatima, whom he has murdered; at his 
suggestion your wife makes this pernicious demand. 
His design is to kill you, therefore take care of your¬ 
self.” After these words the genie disappeared. 

Aladdin resolved at once what to do. He re¬ 
turned to the princess’s apartment, and without men¬ 
tioning a word of what had happened, sat down, and 
complained of a great pain which had suddenly 
seized his head. On hearing this, the princess told 
him how she had invited the holy Fatima to stay 
with her, and that she was now in the palace; and 
at the request of the prince, ordered her to be sum¬ 
moned to her at once. 

When the pretended Fatima came, Aladdin said, 


108 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

“ Come hither, good mother; I am glad to see you 
here at so fortunate a time. I am tormented with 
a violent pain in my head, and request your assist¬ 
ance, and hope you will not refuse me that cure 
which you impart to afflicted persons.” So saying, 
he arose, but held down his head. The counterfeit 
Fatima advanced toward him, with his hand all the 
time on a dagger concealed in his girdle under his 
gown; which Aladdin, observing, he snatched the 
weapon from his hand, pierced him to the heart with 
his own dagger, and then pushed him down on the 
floor. 

“ My dear prince, what have you done ? ” cried 
the princess, in surprise. “ You have killed the holy 
woman! ” “ No, my princess,” answered Aladdin 

with emotion, “ I have not killed Fatima, but a vil¬ 
lain, who would have assassinated me, if I had not 
prevented him. “ This wicked man,” added he, un¬ 
covering his face, “ is the brother of the magician 
who attempted our ruin. He has strangled the true 
Fatima, and disguised himself in her clothes with in¬ 
tent to murder me.” Aladdin then informed her how 
the genie had told him these facts, and how narrowly 
she and the palace had escaped destruction through 
his treacherous suggestion which had led to her re¬ 
quest. 

Thus was Aladdin delivered from the persecution 
of the two brothers, who were magicians. Within a 
few years afterward, the sultan died in a good old 
age, and as he left no male children, the Princess 
Buddir al Buddoor succeeded him, and she and 
Aladdin reigned together many years, and left a 
numerous and illustrious posterity. 


CHAPTER VI 


THE HISTORY OF ALI BABA, AND OF THE FORTY 
ROBBERS KILLED BY ONE SLAVE 

There once lived in a town of Persia two broth¬ 
ers, one named Cassim and the other Ali Baba. 
Their father divided a small inheritance equally be¬ 
tween them. Cassim married a very rich wife, and 
became a wealthy merchant. Ali Baba married a 
woman as poor as himself, and lived by cutting 
wood, and bringing it upon three asses into the 
town to sell. 

One day, when Ali Baba was in the forest, and 
had just cut wood enough to load his asses, he saw 
at a distance a great cloud of dust, which seemed 
to approach him. He observed it with attention, 
and distinguished soon after a body of horsemen, 
who he suspected might be robbers. He deter¬ 
mined to leave his asses to save himself. He climbed 
up a large tree, planted on a high rock, whose 
branches were thick enough to conceal him, and 
yet enabled him to see all that passed without being 
discovered. 

The troop, who were to the number of forty, all 
well mounted and armed, came to the foot of the 
rock on which the tree stood, and there dismounted. 
Every man unbridled his horse, tied him to some 


no Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

shrub, and hung about his neck a bag of corn which 
they brought behind them. Then each of them 
took off his saddle-bag, which seemed to Ali Baba 
to be full of gold and silver from its weight. One, 
whom he took to be their captain, came under the 
tree in which Ali Baba was concealed; and making 
his way through some shrubs, pronounced these 
words: “ Open, Sesame! ” 1 As soon as the captain 
of the robbers had thus spoken, a door opened in 
the rock; and after he had made all his troop enter 
before him, he followed them, when the door shut 
again of itself. 

The robbers stayed some time within the rock, 
during which Ali Baba, fearful of being caught, re¬ 
mained in the tree. 

At last the door opened again, and as the captain 
went in last, so he came out first, and stood to see 
them all pass by him; when Ali Baba heard him 
make the door close by pronouncing these words, 
“ Shut, Sesame! ” Every man at once went and 
bridled his horse, fastened his wallet, and mounted 
again. When the captain saw them all ready, he 
put himself at their head, and they returned the 
way they had come. 

Ali Baba followed them with his eyes as far as 
he could see them; and afterward stayed a consid¬ 
erable time before he descended. Remembering 
the words the captain of the robbers used to cause 
the door to open and shut, he had the curiosity to 
try if his pronouncing them would have the same 
effect. Accordingly, he went among the shrubs, and 
perceiving the door concealed behind them, stood 

1 “ Sesame ” is a small grain. 


The History of Ali Baba 


hi 


before it, and said, “ Open, Sesame! ” The door in¬ 
stantly flew wide open. 

Ali Baba, who expected a dark, dismal cavern, 
was surprised to see a well-lighted and spacious 
chamber, which received the light from an opening 
at the top of the rock, and in which were all sorts 
of provisions, rich bales of silk, stuff, brocade, and 
valuable carpeting, piled upon one another; gold 
and silver ingots in great heaps, and money in bags. 
The sight of all these riches made him suppose that 
this cave must have been occupied for ages by rob¬ 
bers, who had succeeded one another. 

Ali Baba went boldly into the cave, and collected 
as much of the gold coin, which was in bags, as 
he thought his three asses could carry. When he 
had loaded them with the bags, he laid wood over 
them in such a manner that they could not be seen. 
When he had passed in and out as often as he 
wished, he stood before the door, and pronouncing 
the words, “ Shut, Sesame! ” the door closed of it¬ 
self. He then made the best of his way to town. 

When Ali Baba got home, he drove his asses into 
a little yard, shut the gates very carefully, threw off 
the wood that covered the panniers, carried the bags 
into his house, and ranged them in order before his 
wife. He then emptied the bags, which raised such 
a great heap of gold as dazzled his wife’s eyes, and 
then he told her the whole adventure from begin¬ 
ning to end, and, above all, recommended her to 
keep it secret. 

The wife rejoiced greatly in their good fortune, 
and would count all the gold piece by piece. “ Wife,” 
replied Ali Baba, “you do not know what you 


11 2 


Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

undertake, when you pretend to count the money; 
you will never have done. I will dig a hole, and 
bury it. There is no time to be lost.” “ You are in 
the right, husband,” replied she, “ but let us know, as 
nigh as possible, how much we have. I will borrow 
a small measure, and measure it, while you dig the 
hole.” 

Away the wife ran to her brother-in-law Cassim, 
who lived just by, and addressing herself to his 
wife, desired her to lend her a measure for a little 
while. Her sister-in-law asked her whether she 
would have a great or a small one. The other asked 
for a small one. She bade her stay a little, and she 
would readily fetch one. 

The sister-in-law did so, but as she knew Ali 
Baba’s poverty, she was curious to know what sort 
of grain his wife wanted to measure, and artfully 
putting some suet at the bottom of the measure, 
brought it to her, with an excuse that she was sorry 
that she had made her stay so long, but that she 
could not find it sooner. 

Ali Baba’s wife went home, set the measure upon 
the heap of gold, filled it, and emptied it often upon 
the sofa, till she had done, when she was very well 
satisfied to find the number of measures amounted to 
so many as they did, and went to tell her husband, 
who had almost finished digging the hole. While 
Ali Baba was burying the gold, his wife, to show 
her exactness and diligence to her sister-in-law, 
carried the measure back again, but without taking 
notice that a piece of gold had stuck to the bottom. 
“ Sister,” said she, giving it to her again, “ you see 


The History of Ali Baba 113 

that I have not kept your measure long. I am 
obliged to you for it, and return it with thanks.” 

As soon as Ali Baba’s wife was gone, Cassim’s 
looked at the bottom of the measure, and was in 
inexpressible surprise to find a piece of gold sticking 
to it. Envy immediately possessed her breast. 
“ What! ” said she, “ has Ali Baba gold so plentiful 
as to measure it ? Whence has he all this wealth ? ” 

Cassim, her husband, was at his counting-house. 
When he came home, his wife said to him, “ Cas¬ 
sim, I know you think yourself rich, but Ali Baba 
is infinitely richer than you. He does not count 
his money, but measures it.” Cassim desired her to 
explain the riddle, which she did, by telling him the 
stratagem she had used to make the discovery, and 
showed him the piece of money, which was so old 
that they could not tell in what prince’s reign it was 
coined. 

Cassim, after he had married the rich widow, had 
never treated Ali Baba as a brother, but neglected 
him; and now, instead of being pleased, he conceived 
a base envy at his brother’s prosperity. He could 
not sleep all that night, and went to him in the morn¬ 
ing before sunrise. “ Ali Baba,” said he, “ I am sur¬ 
prised at you; you pretend to be miserably poor, and 
yet you measure gold. My wife found this at the 
bottom of the measure you borrowed yesterday.” 

By this discourse, Ali Baba perceived that Cas¬ 
sim and his wife, through his own wife’s folly, knew 
what they had so much reason to conceal; but what 
was done, could not be undone. Therefore, without 
showing the least surprise or trouble, he confessed 


114 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

all, and offered his brother part of his treasure to 
keep the secret. 

“ I expect as much,” replied Cassim haughtily; 
“ but I must know exactly where this treasure is, 
and how I may visit it myself when I choose; other¬ 
wise, I will go and inform against you, and then you 
will not only get no more, but will lose all you have, 
and I shall have a share for my information.” 

Ali Baba told him all he desired, even to the very 
words he was to use to gain admission into the 
cave. 

Cassim rose the next morning long before the 
sun, and set out for the forest with ten mules bear¬ 
ing great chests, which he designed to fill, and fol¬ 
lowed the road which Ali Baba had pointed out to 
him. He was not long before he reached the rock, 
and found out the place, by the tree and other marks 
which his brother had given him. When he reached 
the entrance of the cavern, he pronounced the words, 
“ Open, Sesame! ” The door immediately opened, 
and, when he was in, closed upon him. In examin¬ 
ing the cave, he was in great admiration to find 
much more riches than he had expected from Ali 
Baba’s relation. He quickly laid as many bags of 
gold as he could carry at the door of the cavern; 
but his thoughts were so full of the great riches he 
should possess, that he could not think of the neces¬ 
sary word to make it open, but instead of “ Se¬ 
same,” said, “ Open, Barley! ” and was much 
amazed to find that the door remained fast shut. 
He named several sorts of grain, but still the door 
would not open. 

Cassim had never expected such an incident, and 


The History of Ali Baba 115 

was so alarmed at the danger he was in, that the 
more he endeavoured to remember the word “ Se¬ 
same,” the more his memory was confounded, and 
he had as much forgotten it as if he had never 
heard it mentioned. He threw down the bags he 
had loaded himself with, and walked distractedly up 
and down the cave, without having the least regard 
to the riches that were around him. 

About noon the robbers visited their cave. At 
some distance they saw Cassini’s mules straggling 
about the rock, with great chests on their backs. 
Alarmed at this, they galloped full speed to the 
cave. They drove away the mules, which strayed 
through the forest so far, that they were soon out 
of sight, and went directly, with their naked sabres 
in their hands, to the door, which, on their captain 
pronouncing the proper words, immediately opened. 

Cassim, who heard the noise of the horses’ feet, 
at once guessed the arrival of the robbers, and re¬ 
solved to make one effort for his life. He rushed 
to the door, and no sooner saw the door open, than 
he ran out and threw the leader down, but could 
not escape the other robbers, who with their scimi¬ 
tars soon deprived him of life. 

The first care of the robbers after this was to ex¬ 
amine the cave. They found all the bags which 
Cassim had brought to the door, to be ready to load 
his mules, and carried them again to their places, 
but they did not miss what Ali Baba had taken away 
before. Then holding a council, and deliberating 
upon this occurrence, they guessed that Cassim, 
when he was in, could no get out again, but could 
not imagine how he had learned the secret words 


ii6 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

by which alone he could enter. They could not deny 
the fact of his being there; and to terrify any per¬ 
son or accomplice who should attempt the same 
thing, they agreed to cut Cassim’s body into four 
quarters—to hang two on one side, and two on the 
other, within the door of the cave. They had no 
sooner taken this resolution than they put it in exe¬ 
cution; and when they had nothing more to detain 
them, left the place of their hoards well closed. 
They mounted their horses, went to beat the roads 
again, and to attack the caravans they might meet. 

In the mean time, Cassim’s wife was very uneasy 
when night came, and her husband was not returned. 
She ran to Ali Baba in great alarm, and said, “ I 
believe, brother-in-law, that you know Cassim is 
gone to the forest, and upon what account; it is now 
night, and he has not returned; I am afraid some 
misfortune has happened to him.” Ali Baba told 
her that she ueed not frighten herself, for that cer¬ 
tainly Cassim would not think it proper to come into 
the town till the night should be pretty far advanced. 

Cassim’s wife, considering how much it concerned 
her husband to keep the business secret, was the 
more easily persuaded to believe her brother-in-law. 
She went home again, and waited patiently till mid¬ 
night. Then her fear redoubled, and her grief was 
the more sensible because she was forced to keep it 
to herself. She repented of her foolish curiosity, 
and cursed her desire of prying into the affairs of 
her brother and sister-in-law. She spent all the 
night in weeping; and as soon as it was day went 
to them, telling them, by her tears, the cause of her 
coming. 


The History of Ali Baba 117 

Ali Baba did not wait for his sister-in-law to de¬ 
sire him to go to see what was become of Cassim, but 
departed immediately with his three asses, begging 
of her first to moderate her affliction. He went to 
the forest, and when he came near the rock, having 
seen neither his brother nor the mules in his way, 
was seriously alarmed at finding some blood spilt 
near the door, which he took for an ill omen; but 
when he had pronounced the word, and the door 
had opened, he was struck with horror at the dismal 
sight of his brother’s body. He was not long in de¬ 
termining how he should pay the last dues to his 
brother; but without adverting to the little fraternal 
affection he had shown for him, went into the cave, 
to find something to enshroud his remains; and hav¬ 
ing loaded one of his asses with them, covered them 
over with wood. The other two asses he loaded 
with bags of gold, covering them with wood also as 
before; and then bidding the door shut, came away; 
but was so cautious as to stop some time at the end 
of the forest, that he might not go into the town be¬ 
fore night. When he came home, he drove the two 
asses loaded with gold into his little yard, and left 
the care of unloading them to his wife, while he led 
the other to his sister-in-law’s house. 

Ali Baba knocked at the dor, which was opened 
by Morgiana, a clever, intelligent slave, who was 
fruitful in inventions to meet the most difficult cir¬ 
cumstances. When he came into the court, he un¬ 
loaded the ass, and taking Morgiana aside, said to 
her, “ You must observe an inviolable secrecy. Your 
master’s body is contained in these two panniers. 
We must bury him as if he had died a natural death. 


n8 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

Go now and tell your mistress. I leave the matter 
to your wit and skilful devices.” 

Ali Baba helped to place the body in Cassim’s 
house, again recommended to Morgiana to act her 
part well, and then returned with his ass. 

Morgiana went out early the next morning to a 
druggist, and asked for a sort of lozenge which was 
considered efficacious in the most dangerous dis¬ 
orders. The apothecary inquired who was ill ? She 
replied, with a sigh, “ Her good master Cassim him¬ 
self : and that he could neither eat nor speak.’ , In 
the evening Morgiana went to the same druggist’s 
again, and with tears in her eyes, asked for an es¬ 
sence which they used to give to sick people only 
when at the last extremity. “ Alas! ” said she, tak¬ 
ing it from the apothecary, “ I am afraid that this 
remedy will have no better effect than the lozenges; 
and that I shall lose my good master.” 

On the other hand, as Ali Baba and his wife were 
often seen to go between Cassim’s and their own 
house all that day, and to seem melancholy, nobody 
was surprised in the evening to hear the lamentable 
shrieks and cries of Cassim’s wife and Morgiana, 
who gave out everywhere that her master was dead. 
The next morning at daybreak Morgiana went to an 
old cobbler whom she knew to be always early at his 
stall, and bidding him good-morrow, put a piece of 
gold into his hand, saying, “ Baba Mustapha, you 
must bring with you your sewing tackle, and come 
with me; but I must tell you, I shall blindfold you 
when you come to such a place.” 

Baba Mustapha seemed to hesitate a little at these 
words. “ Oh! oh ! ” replied he, “ you would have 


The History of Ali Baba 119 

me do something against my conscience, or against 
my honour ? ” “ God forbid,” said Morgiana, put¬ 
ting another piece of gold into his hand, “ that I 
should ask anything that is contrary to your hon¬ 
our ! only come along with me and fear nothing.” 

Baba Mustapha went with Morgiana, who, after 
she had bound his eyes with a handkerchief at the 
place she had mentioned, conveyed him to her de¬ 
ceased master’s house, and never unloosed his eyes 
till he had entered the room where she had put the 
corpse together. “ Baba Mustapha,” said she, “ you 
must make haste and sew the parts of this body 
together; and when you have done, I will give you 
another piece of gold.” 

After Baba Mustapha had finished his task, she 
blindfolded him again, gave him the third piece 
of gold as she had promised, and recommending 
secrecy to him carried him back to the place where 
she first bound his eyes, pulled off the bandage, and 
let him go home, but watched him that he returned 
toward his stall, till he was quite out of sight, for 
fear he should have the curiosity to return and 
dodge her; she then went home. Morgiana, on her 
return, warmed some water to wash the body, and 
at the same time Ali Baba perfumed it with incense, 
and wrapped it in the burying clothes with the 
accustomed ceremonies. Not long after the proper 
officer brought the bier, and when the attendants of 
the mosque, whose business it was to wash the dead, 
offered to perform their duty, she told them that it 
was done already. Shortly after this the imaun and 
the other ministers of the mosque arrived. Four 
neighbours carried the corpse to the burying- 


120 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

ground, following the imaun, who recited some 
prayers. Ali Baba came after with some neigh¬ 
bours, who often relieved the others in carrying the 
bier to the burying-ground. Morgiana, a slave to 
the deceased, followed in the procession, weeping, 
beating her breast, and tearing her hair. Cassim’s 
wife stayed at home mourning, uttering lamentable 
cries with the women of the neighbourhood, who 
came, according to custom, during the funeral, and 
joining their lamentations with hers filled the quar¬ 
ter far and near with sounds of sorrow. 

In this manner Cassim’s melancholy death was 
concealed and hushed up between Ali Baba, his 
widow, and Morgiana, his slave, with so much con¬ 
trivance that nobody in the city had the least knowl¬ 
edge or suspicion of the cause of it. Three or four 
days after the funeral, Ali Baba removed his few 
goods openly to his sister-in-law’s house, in which 
it was agreed that he should in future live; but the 
money he had taken from the robbers he conveyed 
thither by night. As for Cassini’s warehouse, he 
entrusted it entirely to the management of his eldest 
son. 

While these things were being done, the forty 
robbers again visited their retreat in the forest. 
Great, then, was their surprise to find Cassim’s body 
taken away, with some of their bags of gold. “ We 
are certainly discovered,” said the captain. “ The 
removal of the body, and the loss of some of our 
money, plainly shows that the man whom we killed 
had an accomplice: and for our own lives’ sake we 
must try and find him. What say you, my lads ? ” 


The History of Ali Baba 


121 


All the robbers unanimously approved of the cap¬ 
tain’s proposal. 

“ Well,” said the captain, “ one of you, the bold¬ 
est and most skilful among you, must go into the 
town, disguised as a traveller and a stranger, to try 
if he can hear any talk of the man whom we have 
killed, and endeavour to find out who he was, and 
where he lived. This is a matter of the first im¬ 
portance, and for fear of any treachery, I propose 
that whoever undertakes this business without suc¬ 
cess, even though the failure arises only from an 
error of judgment, shall suffer death.” 

Without waiting for the sentiments of his com¬ 
panions, one of the robbers started up, and said, 
“ I submit to this condition, and think it an honour 
to expose my life to serve the troop.” 

After this robber had received great commenda¬ 
tions from the captain and his comrades, he dis¬ 
guised himself so that nobody would take him for 
what he was; and taking his leave of the troop that 
night, went into the town just at daybreak; and 
walked up and down, till accidentally he came to 
Baba Mustapha’s stall, which was always open be¬ 
fore any of the shops. 

Baba Mustapha was seated with an awl in his 
hand, just going to work. The robber saluted him, 
bidding him good-morrow; and perceiving that he 
was old, said, “ Honest man, you begin to work 
very early: is it possible that one of your age can 
see so well? I question, even if it were somewhat 
lighter, whether you could see to stitch.” 

“ You do not know me,” replied Baba Mustapha; 
“ for old as I am, I have extraordinary good eyes; 


122 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

and you will not doubt it when I tell you that I 
sewed the body of a dead man together in a place 
where I had not so much light as I have now.” 

“ A dead body! ” exclaimed the robber, with af¬ 
fected amazement. “ Yes, yes,” answered Baba 
Mustapha, “ I see you want to have me speak out, 
but you shall know no more.” 

The robber felt sure that he had discovered what 
he sought. He pulled out a piece of gold, and put¬ 
ting it into Baba Mustapha’s hand, said to him, “ I 
do not want to learn your secret, though I can 
assure you you might safely trust me with it. The 
only thing I desire of you is to show me the house 
where you stitched up the dead body.” 

“ If I were disposed to do you that favour,” re¬ 
plied Baba Mustapha, “ I assure you I cannot. I 
was taken to a certain place, whence I was led 
blindfold to the house, and afterward brought back 
again in the same manner; you see, therefore, 
the impossibility of my doing what you desire.” 

“ Well,” replied the robber, “ you may, however, 
remember a little of the way that you were led 
blindfold. Come, let me blind your eyes at the 
same place. We will walk together; perhaps you 
may recognise some part; and as everybody ought 
to be paid for their trouble, there is another piece of 
gold for you; gratify me in what I ask you.” So 
saying, he put another piece of gold into his hand. 

The two pieces of gold were great temptations 
to Baba Mustapha. He looked at them a long time 
in his hand, without saying a word, but at last he 
pulled out his purse and put them in. “ I cannot 
promise,” said he to the robber, “ that I can remem- 


The History of Ali Baba 


123 


ber the way exactly; but since you desire, I will try 
what I can do.” At these words Baba Mustapha 
rose up, to the great joy of the robber, and led him 
to the place where Morgiana had bound his eyes. 
“ It was here,” said Baba Mustapha, “ I was blind¬ 
folded ; and I turned this way.” The robber tied his 
handkerchief over his eyes, and walked by him till 
he stopped directly at Cassim’s house, where Ali 
Baba then lived. The thief, before he pulled off the 
band, marked the door with a piece of chalk, which 
he had ready in his hand, and then asked him if he 
knew whose house that was; to which Baba Mus¬ 
tapha replied that as he did not live in that neigh¬ 
bourhood, he could not tell. 

The robber, finding he could discover no more 
from Baba Mustapha, thanked him for the trouble 
he had taken, and left him to go back to his stall, 
while he returned to the forest, persuaded that he 
should be very well received. 

A little after the robber and Baba Mustapha had 
parted, Morgiana went out of Ali Baba’s house upon 
some errand, and upon her return, seeing the mark 
the robber had made, stopped to observe it. “ What 
can be the meaning of this mark ? ” said she to her¬ 
self ; “ somebody intends my master no good: how¬ 
ever, with whatever intention it was done, it is ad¬ 
visable to guard against the worst.” Accordingly, 
she fetched a piece of chalk, and marked two or three 
doors on each side, in the same manner, without 
saying a word to her master or mistress. 

In the mean time, the robber rejoined his troop in 
the forest, and recounted to them his success; ex¬ 
patiating upon his good fortune, in meeting so soon 


1^4 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Knozu 

with the only person who could inform him of what 
he wanted to know. All the robbers listened to him 
with the utmost satisfaction; when the captain, after 
commending his diligence, addressing himself to 
them all, said, “ Comrades, we have no time to lose: 
let us set off well armed, without its appearing who 
we are; but that we may not excite any suspicion, 
let only one or two go into the town together, and 
join at our rendezvous, which shall be the great 
square. In the mean time, our comrade who brought 
us the good news and I will go and find out the 
house, that we may consult what had best be done.” 

This speech and plan was approved of by all, and 
they were soon ready. They filed off in parties of 
two each, after some interval of time, and got into 
the town without being in the least suspected. The 
captain, and he who had visited the town in the 
morning as spy, came in the last. He led the cap¬ 
tain into the street where he had marked Ali Baba’s 
residence; and when they came to the first of the 
houses which Morgiana had marked, he pointed it 
out. But the captain observed that the next door 
was chalked in the same manner and in the same 
place; and showing it to his guide, asked him which 
house it was, that, or the first. The guide was so 
confounded, that he knew not what answer to make; 
but still more puzzled, when he and the captain saw 
five or six houses similarly marked. He assured 
the captain, with an oath, that he had marked but 
one, and could not tell who had chalked the rest, so 
that he could not distinguish the house which the 
cobbler had stopped at. 

The captain, finding that their design had proved 


The History of Ali Baba 




abortive, went directly to the place of meeting, 
and told his troop that they had lost their labour, 
and must return to their cave. He himself set them 
the example, and they all returned as they had 
come. 

When the troop was all got together, the captain 
told them the reason of their returning; and pres¬ 
ently the conductor was declared by all worthy of 
death. He condemned himself, acknowledging that 
he ought to have taken better precaution, and pre¬ 
pared to receive the stroke from him who was ap¬ 
pointed to cut off his head. 

But as the safety of the troop required the discov¬ 
ery of the second intruder into the cave, another of 
the gang, who promised himself that he should suc¬ 
ceed better, presented himself, and his offer being 
accepted, he went and corrupted Baba Mustapha, 
as the other had done; and being shown the house, 
marked it in a place more remote from sight, with 
red chalk. 

Not long after, Morgiana, whose eyes nothing 
could escape, went out, and seeing the red chalk, and 
arguing with herself as she had done before, marked 
the other neighbours’ houses in the same place and 
manner. 

The robber, at his return to his company, valued 
himself much on the precaution he had taken, which 
he looked upon as an infallible way of distinguish¬ 
ing Ali Baba’s house from the others; and the cap¬ 
tain and all of them thought it must succeed. They 
conveyed themselves into the town with the same 
precaution as before; but when the robber and his 
captain came to the street, they found the same diffi- 


126 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 


culty; at which the captain was enraged, and the 
robber in as great confusion as his predecessor. 

Thus the captain and his troop were forced to re¬ 
tire a second time, and much more dissatisfied; while 
the robber who had been the author of the mistake 
underwent the same punishment, to which he will¬ 
ingly submitted. 

The captain, having lost two brave fellows of his 
troop, was afraid of diminishing it too much by pur¬ 
suing this plan to get information of the residence 
of their plunderer. He found by their example that 
their heads were not so good as their hands on such 
occasions; and therefore resolved to take upon him¬ 
self the important commission. 

Accordingly, he went and addressed himself to 
Baba Mustapha, who did him the same service he 
had done to the other robbers. He did not set any 
particular mark on the house, but examined and ob¬ 
served it so carefully, by passing often by it, that it 
was impossible for him to mistake it. 

The captain, well satisfied with his attempt, and 
informed of what he wanted to know, returned to 
the forest; and when he came into the cave, where 
the troop waited for him, said, “ Now, comrades, 
nothing can prevent our full revenge, as I am cer¬ 
tain of the house; and in my way hither I have 
thought how to put it into execution, but if any 
one can form a better expedient, let him communi¬ 
cate it.” He then told them his contrivance; and 
as they approved of it, ordered them to go into the 
villages about, and buy nineteen mules, with thirty- 
eight large leather jars, one full of oil, and the 
others empty. 


The History of Ali Baba 


127 


In two or three days' time the robbers had pur¬ 
chased the mules and jars, and as the mouths of the 
jars were rather too narrow for his purpose, the 
captain caused them to be widened, and after having 
put one of his men into each, with the weapons 
which he thought fit, leaving open the seam which 
had been undone to leave them room to breathe, 
he rubbed the jars on the outside with oil from the 
full vessel. 

Things being thus prepared, when the nineteen 
mules were loaded with thirty-seven robbers in jars, 
and the jar of oil, the captain, as their driver, set 
out with them, and reached the town by the dusk 
of the evening, as he had intended. He led them 
through the streets, till he came to Ali Baba's, at 
whose door he designed to have knocked; but was 
prevented by his sitting there after supper to take a 
little fresh air. He stopped his mules, addressed 
himself to him, and said, “ I have brought some oil 
a great way, to sell at to-morrow's market; and it is 
now so late that I do not know where to lodge. If 
I should not be troublesome to you, do me the fa¬ 
vour to let me pass the night with you, and I shall 
be very much obliged by your hospitality." 

Though Ali Baba had seen the captain of the rob¬ 
bers in the forest, and had heard him speak, it was 
impossible to know him in the disguise of an oil 
merchant. He told him he should be welcome, and 
immediately opened his gates for the mules to go 
into the yard. At the same time he called to a slave, 
and ordered him, when the mules were unloaded, to 
put them into the stable, and to feed them; and 
then went to Morgiana, to bid her get a good sup- 


128 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

per for his guest. After they had finished supper, 
Ali Baba, charging Morgiana afresh to take care of 
his guest, said to her, “ To-morrow morning I de¬ 
sign to go to the bath before day; take care my bath¬ 
ing linen be ready, give them to Abdalla (which 
was the slave’s name), and make me some good 
broth against my return.” After this he went to bed. 

In the mean time the captain of the robbers went 
into the yard, and took off the lid of each jar, and 
gave his people orders what to do. Beginning at 
the first jar, and so on to the last, he said to each 
man: “ As soon as I throw some stones out of the 
chamber window where I lie, do not fail to come 
out, and I will immediately join you.” After this 
he returned into the house, when Morgiana, taking 
up a light, conducted him to his chamber, where she 
left him; and he, to avoid any suspicion, put the 
light out soon after, and laid himself down in his 
clothes, that he might be the more ready to rise. 

Morgiana, remembering Ali Baba’s orders, got 
his bathing linen ready, and ordered Abdalla to set 
on the pot for the broth; but while she was preparing 
it the lamp went out, and there was no more oil in 
the house, nor any candles. What to do she did not 
know, for the broth must be made. Abdalla, seeing 
her very uneasy, said, “ Do not fret and tease your¬ 
self, but go into the yard, and take some oil out of 
one of the jars.” 

Morgiana thanked Abdalla for his advice, took 
the oil-pot, and went into the yard; when, as she 
came nigh the first jar, the robber within said softly, 
“ Is it time? ” 

Though naturally much surprised at finding a 


The History of Ali Baba 


129 


man in the jar instead of the oil she wanted, she 
immediately felt the importance of keeping silence, 
as Ali Baba, his family, and herself were in great 
danger; and collecting herself, without showing the 
least emotion, she answered, “ Not yet, but pres¬ 
ently.” She went quietly in this manner to. all the 
jars, giving the same answer, till she came to the jar 
of oil. 

By this means Morgiana found that her master 
Ali Baba had admitted thirty-eight robbers into his 
house, and that this pretended oil merchant was 
their captain. She made what haste she could to fill 
her oil-pot, and returned into her kitchen, where, as 
soon as she had lighted her lamp, she took a great 
kettle, went again to the oil-jar, filled the kettle, 
set it on a large wood fire, and as soon as it boiled, 
went and poured enough into every jar to stifle and 
destroy the robber within. 

When this action, worthy of the courage of Mor¬ 
giana, was executed without any noise, as she had 
projected, she returned into the kitchen with the 
empty kettle; and having put out the great fire she 
had made to boil the oil, and leaving just enough to 
make the broth, put out the lamp also, and remained 
silent, resolving not to go to rest till she had ob¬ 
served what might follow through a window of the 
kitchen, which opened into the yard. 

She had not waited long before the captain of the 
robbers got up, opened the window, and finding no 
light, and hearing no noise, or any one stirring in 
the house, gave the appointed signal, by throwing 
little stones, several of which hit the jars, as he 
doubted not by the sound they gave. He then 


130 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

listened, but not hearing or perceiving anything 
whereby he could judge that his companions stirred, 
he began to grow very Uneasy, threw stones again a 
second and also a third time, and could not compre¬ 
hend the reason that none of them should answer 
his signal. Much alarmed, he went softly down into 
the yard, and going to the first jar, while asking the 
robber, whom he thought alive, if he was in readi¬ 
ness, smelt the hot boiled oil, which sent forth a 
steam out of the jar. Hence he suspected that his 
plot to murder Ali Baba, and plunder his house, was 
discovered. Examining all the jars, one after an¬ 
other, he found that all his gang were dead; and, 
enraged to despair at having failed in his design, he 
forced the lock of a door that led from the yard to 
the garden, and climbing over the walls made his 
escape. 

When Morgiana saw him depart, she went to bed, 
satisfied and pleased to have succeeded so well in 
saving her master and family. 

Ali Baba rose before day, and, followed by his 
slave, went to the baths, entirely ignorant of the 
important event which had happened at home. 

When he returned from the baths, he was very 
much surprised to see the oil-jars, and that the mer¬ 
chant was not gone with the mules. He asked Mor¬ 
giana, who opened the door, the reason of it. “ My 
good master,” answered she, “ God preserve you 
and all your family. You will be better informed 
of what you wish to know when you have seen what 
I have to show you, if you will follow me.” 

As soon as Morgiana had shut the door, Ali Baba 
followed her, when she requested him to look into 


The History of Ali Baha 131 

the first jar, and see if there was any oil. Ali Baba 
did so, and seeing a man, started back in alarm, and 
cried out. “ Do not be afraid,” said Morgiana, 
“ the man you see there can neither do you nor any¬ 
body else any harm. He is dead.” “Ah, Mor¬ 
giana,” said Ali Baba, “ what is it you show me ? 
Explain yourself.” “ I will,” replied Morgiana. 
“ Moderate your astonishment, and do not excite 
the curiosity of your neighbours; for it is of great 
importance to keep this affair secret. Look into all 
the other jars.” 

Ali Baba examined all the other jars, one after 
another; and when he came to that which had the 
oil in it, found it prodigiously sunk, and stood for 
some time motionless, sometimes looking at the 
jars, and sometimes at Morgiana, without saying a 
word, so great was his surprise. At last, when he 
had recovered himself, he said, “ And what is be¬ 
come of the merchant ? ” 

“ Merchant! ” answered she; “ he is as much one 
as I am. I will tell you who he is, and what is 
become of him; but you had better hear the story in 
your own chamber; for it is time for your health 
that you had your broth after your bathing.” 

Morgiana then told him all she had done, from the 
first observing the mark upon the house, to the de¬ 
struction of the robbers, and the flight of their cap¬ 
tain. 

On hearing of these brave deeds from the lips of 
Morgiana, Ali Baba said to her—“ God, by your 
means, has delivered me from the snares these rob¬ 
bers laid for my destruction. I owe, therefore, my 
life to you; and, for the first token of my acknowl- 


132 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

edgment, give you your liberty from this moment, 
till I can complete your recompense as I intend.” 

Ali Baba’s garden was very long, and shaded at 
the further end by a great number of large trees. 
Near these he and the slave Abdalla dug a trench, 
long and wide enough to hold the bodies of the rob¬ 
bers ; and as the earth was light, they were not long 
in doing it. When this was done, Ali Baba hid the 
jars and weapons; and as he had no occasion for the 
mules, he sent them at different times to be sold in 
the market by his slave. 

While Ali Baba took these measures, the captain 
of the forty robbers returned to the forest with in¬ 
conceivable mortification. He did not stay long; the 
loneliness of the gloomy cavern became frightful to 
him. He determined, however, to avenge the fate 
of his companions, and to accomplish the death of 
Ali Baba. For this purpose he returned to the town, 
and took a lodging in a khan, and disguised himself 
as a merchant in silks. Under this assumed charac¬ 
ter, he gradually conveyed a great many sorts of 
rich stuffs and fine linen to his lodging from the 
cavern, but with all the necessary precautions to 
conceal the place whence he brought them. In order 
to dispose of the merchandise, when he had thus 
amassed them together, he took a warehouse, which 
happened to be opposite to Cassim’s, which Ali 
Baba’s son had occupied since the death of his uncle. 

He took the name of Cogia Hpussain, and, as a 
new-comer, was, according to custom, extremely 
civil and complaisant to all the merchants his neigh¬ 
bours. Ali Baba’s son was, from his vicinity, one 
of the first to converse with Cogia Houssain, who 


The History of Ali Baba 


i33 


strove to cultivate his friendship more particularly. 
Two or three days after he was settled, Ali Baba 
came to see his son, and the captain of the robbers 
recognised him at once, and soon learned from his 
son who he was. After this he increased his assidu¬ 
ities, caressed him in the most engaging manner, 
made him some small presents, and often asked him 
to dine and sup with him, when he treated him very 
handsomely. 

Ali Baba’s son did not choose to lie under such 
obligation to Cogia Houssain; but was so much 
straitened for want of room in his house, that he 
could not entertain him. He therefore acquainted 
his father, Ali Baba, with his wish to invite him in 
return. 

Ali Baba with great pleasure took the treat upon 
himself. “ Son,” said he, “ to-morrow being Friday, 
which is a day that the shops of such great mer¬ 
chants as Cogia Houssain and yourself are shut, get 
him to accompany you, and as you pass by my door, 
call in. I will go and order Morgiana to provide a 
supper.” 

The next day Ali Baba’s son and Cogia Houssain 
met by appointment, took their walk, and as they re¬ 
turned, Ali Baba’s son led Cogia Houssain through 
the street where his father lived, and when they 
came to the house, stopped and knocked at the door. 
“ This, sir,” said he, “ is my father’s house, who, 
from the account I have given him of your friend¬ 
ship, charged me to procure him the honour of your 
acquaintance; and I desire you to add this pleasure 
to those for which I am already indebted to you.” 

Though it was the sole aim of Cogia Houssain to 


134 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

introduce himself into Ali Baba’s house, that he 
might kill him, without hazarding his own life or 
making any noise, yet he excused himself, and of¬ 
fered to take his leave; but a slave having opened 
the door, Ali Baba’s son took him obligingly by the 
hand, and, in a manner, forced him in. 

Ali Baba received Cogia Houssain with a smiling 
countenance, and in the most obliging manner he 
could wish. He thanked him for all the favours he 
had done his son; adding withal, the obligation was 
the greater, as he was a young man, not much ac¬ 
quainted with the world, and that he might con¬ 
tribute to his information. 

Cogia Houssain returned the compliment by as¬ 
suring Ali Baba that though his son might not have 
acquired the experience of older men, he had good 
sense equal to the experience of many others. After 
a little more conversation on different subjects, he 
offered again to take his leave, when Ali Baba, stop¬ 
ping him, said, “ Where are you going, sir, in so 
much haste? I beg you would do me the honour 
to sup with me, though my entertainment may not 
be worthy your acceptance; such as it is, I heartily 
offer it.” “ Sir,” replied Cogia Houssain, “ I am 
thoroughly persuaded of your good-will; but the 
truth is, I can eat no victuals that have any salt in 
them; therefore judge how I should feel at your ta¬ 
ble.” “ If that is the only reason,” said Ali Baba, 
“ it ought not to deprive me of the honour of your 
company; for, in the first place, there is no salt ever 
put into my bread, and as to the meat we shall have 
to-night, I promise you there shall be none in that. 


The History of Ali Baba 135 

Therefore you must do me the favour to stay. I 
will return immediately/’ 

Ali Baba went into the kitchen, and ordered Mor- 
giana to put no salt to the meat that was to be 
dressed that night; and to make quickly two or three 
ragouts besides what he had ordered, but be sure 
to put no salt in them. 

Morgiana, who was always ready to obey her mas¬ 
ter, could not help being surprised at his strange 
order. “ Who is this strange man,” said she, “ who 
eats no salt with his meat? Your supper will be 
spoiled, if I keep it back so long.” “ Do not be 
angry, Morgiana,” replied Ali Baba; “ he is an hon¬ 
est man, therefore do as I bid you.” 

Morgiana obeyed, though with no little reluctance, 
and had a curiosity to see this man who ate no salt. 
To this end, when she had finished what she had to 
do in the kitchen, she helped Abdalla to carry up 
the dishes; and looking at Cogia Houssain, knew 
him at first sight, notwithstanding his disguise, to 
be the captain of the robbers, and examining him 
very carefully, perceived that he had a dagger 
under his garment. “ I am not in the least amazed,” 
said she to herself, “ that this wicked man, who is 
my master’s greatest enemy, would eat no salt with 
him, since he intends to assassinate him; but I will 
prevent him.” 

Morgiana, while they were at supper, determined 
in her own mind to execute one of the boldest acts 
ever meditated. When Abdalla came for the dessert 
of fruit, and had put it with the wine and glasses 
before Ali Baba, Morgiana retired, dressed herself 
jieatly, with a suitable head-dress like a dancer, 


136 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

girded her waist with a silver-gilt girdle, to which 
there hung a poniard with a hilt and guard of the 
same metal, and put a handsome mask on her face. 
When she had thus disguised herself, she said to 
Abdalla, “ Take your tabour, and let us go and 
divert our master and his son’s friend, as we do 
sometimes when he is alone.” 

Abdalla took his tabour and played all the way 
into the hall before Morgiana, who, when she came 
to the door, made a low obeisance by way of asking 
leave to exhibit her skill, while Abdalla left off play¬ 
ing. “ Come in, Morgiana,” said Ali Baba, “ and let 
Cogia Houssain see what you can do, that he may tell 
us what he thinks of your performance.” 

Cogia Houssain, who did not expect this diversion 
after supper, began to fear he should not be able to 
take advantage of the opportunity he thought he 
had found; but hoped, if he now missed his aim, to 
secure it another time, by keeping up a friendly cor¬ 
respondence with the father and son; therefore, 
though he could have wished Ali Baba would have 
declined the dance, he pretended to be obliged to 
him for it, and had the complaisance to express his 
satisfaction at what he said, which pleased his host. 

As soon as Abdalla saw that Ali Baba and Cogia 
Houssain had done talking, he began to play on the 
tabour, and accompanied it with an air, to which 
Morgiana, who was an excellent performer, danced 
in such a manner as would have created admiration 
in any company. 

After she had danced several dances with much 
grace, she drew the poniard, and holding it in her 
hand, began a dance, in which she outdid herself 


The History of All Baba 


i37 


by the many different figures, light movements, and 
the surprising leaps and wonderful exertions with 
which she accompanied it. Sometimes she presented 
the poniard to one breast, sometimes to another, and 
oftentimes seemed to strike her own. At last, she 
snatched the tabour from Abdalla with her left 
hand, and holding the dagger in her right presented 
the other side of the tabour, after the manner of 
those who get a livelihood by dancing, and solicit the 
liberality of the spectators. 

Ali Baba put a piece of gold into the tabour, as 
did also his son; and Cogia Houssain seeing that she 
was coming to him, had pulled his purse out of his 
bosom to make her a present; but while he was 
putting his hand into it, Morgiana, with a courage 
and resolution worthy of herself, plunged the 
poniard into his heart. 

Ali Baba and his son, shocked at this action, cried 
out aloud. “ Unhappy woman! ” exclaimed Ali 
Baba, “ what have you done to ruin me and my 
family ? ” “ It was to preserve, not to ruin you,” 

answered Morgiana; “ for see here,” continued she, 
opening the pretended Cogia Houssain’s garment, 
and showing the dagger, “ what an enemy you had 
entertained? Look well at him, and you will find 
him to be both the fictitious oil merchant, and the 
captain of the gang of forty robbers. Remember, 
too, that he would eat no salt with you; and what 
would you have more to persuade you of his wicked 
design ? Before I saw him, I suspected him as soon 
as you told me you had such a guest. I knew 
him, and you now find that my suspicion was not 
groundless.” 


138 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

Ali Baba, who immediately felt the new obliga¬ 
tion he had to Morgiana for saving his life a second 
time, embraced her: “ Morgiana,” said he, “ I gave 
you your liberty, and then promised you that my 
gratitude should not stop there, but that I would soon 
give you higher proofs of its sincerity, which I now 
do by making you my daughter-in-law.” Then ad¬ 
dressing himself to his son, he said, “ I believe you, 
son, to be so dutiful a child, that you will not refuse 
Morgiana for your wife. You see that Cogia Hous- 
sain sought your friendship with a treacherous de¬ 
sign to take away my life; and if he had succeeded, 
there is no doubt but he would have sacrificed you 
also to his revenge. Consider, that by marrying 
Morgiana you marry the preserver of my family and 
your own.” 

The son, far from showing any dislike, readily 
consented to the marriage; not only because he 
would not disobey his father, but also because it was 
agreeable to his inclination. After this they thought 
of burying the captain of the robbers with his com¬ 
rades, and did it so privately that nobody discovered 
their bones till many years after, when no one had 
any concern in the publication of this remarkable 
history. A few days afterward, Ali Baba celebrated 
the nuptials of his son and Morgiana with great 
solemnity, a sumptuous feast, and the usual dancing 
and spectacles; and had the satisfaction to see that 
his friends and neighbours, whom he invited, had 
no knowledge of the true motives of the marriage; 
but that those who were not unacquainted with Mor- 
giana’s good qualities commended his generosity and 
goodness of heart. Ali Baba did not visit the rob- 


139 


The History of Ali Baba 

d 

hers’ cave for a whole year, as he supposed the other 
two, whom he could get no account of, might be 
alive. 

At the year’s end, when he found they had not 
made any attempt to disturb him, he had the curiosity 
to make another journey. He mounted his horse, 
and when he came to the cave he alighted, tied his 
horse to a tree, then approaching the entrance, and 
pronouncing the words, “ Open, Sesame! ” the door 
opened. He entered the cavern, and by the condi¬ 
tion he found things in, judged that nobody had been 
there since the captain had fetched the goods for his 
shop. From this time he believed he was the only 
person in the world who had the secret of opening 
the cave, and that all the treasure was at his sole dis¬ 
posal. He put as much gold into his saddle-bag as 
his horse would carry, and returned to town. Some 
years later he carried his son to the cave and taught 
him the secret, which he handed down to his poster¬ 
ity, who, using their good fortune with moderation, 
lived in great honour and splendour. 


CHAPTER VII 


THE SECOND VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR 

I designed, after my first voyage, to spend the rest 
of my days at Bagdad, but it was not long ere I grew 
weary of an indolent life, and I put to sea a second 
time, with merchants of known probity. We em¬ 
barked on board a good ship, and, after recommend¬ 
ing ourselves to God, set sail. We traded from isl¬ 
and to island, and exchanged commodities with great 
profit. One day we landed on an island covered with 
several sorts of fruit trees, but we could see neither 
man nor animal. We walked in the meadows, along 
the streams that watered them. While some diverted 
themselves with gathering flowers, and others fruits, 
I took my wine and provisions, and sat down near 
a stream betwixt two high trees, which formed a 
thick shade. I made a good meal, and afterward fell 
asleep. I cannot tell how long I slept, but when 
I awoke the ship was gone. 

In this sad condition, I was ready to die with 
grief. I cried out in agony, beat my head and breast, 
and threw myself upon the ground, where I lay 
some time in despair. I upbraided myself a hun¬ 
dred times for not being content with the produce 
of my first voyage, that might have sufficed me all 
my life. But all this was in vain, and my repentance 


Second Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor 141 

came too late. At last I resigned myself to the will 
of God. Not knowing what to do, I climbed up to 
the top of a lofty tree, from whence I looked about 
on all sides, to see if I could discover anything that 
could give me hopes. When I gazed toward the sea 
I could see nothing but sky and water; but looking 
over the land, I beheld something white; and com¬ 
ing down, I took what provision I had left and went 
toward it, the distance being so great, that I could 
not distinguish what it was. 

As I approached, I thought it to be a white dome, 
of a prodigious height and extent; and when I came 
up to it, I touched it, and found it to be very smooth. 
I went round to see if it was open on any side, but 
saw it was not, and that there was no climbing up 
to the top, as it was so smooth. It was at least fifty 
paces round. 

By this time the sun was about to set, and all of a 
sudden the sky became as dark as if it had been 
covered with a thick cloud. I was much astonished 
at this sudden darkness, but much more when I 
found it occasioned by a bird of a monstrous size, 
that came flying toward me. I remembered that I 
had often heard mariners speak of a miraculous bird 
called the Roc, and conceived that the great dome 
which I so much admired must be its egg. In short, 
the bird alighted, and sat over the egg. As I per¬ 
ceived her coming, I crept close to the egg, so that 
I had before me one of the legs of the bird, which 
was as big as the trunk of a tree. I tied myself 
strongly to it with my turban, in hopes that the roc 
next morning would carry me with her out of this 
desert island. After having passed the night in this 


142 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

condition, the bird flew away as soon as it was day¬ 
light, and carried me so high, that I could not dis¬ 
cern the earth; she afterward descended with so 
much rapidity that I lost my senses. But when I 
found myself on the ground, I speedily untied the 
knot, and had scarcely done so, when the roc, having 
taken up a serpent of a monstrous length in her bill, 
flew away. 

The spot where it left me was encompassed on all 
sides by mountains, that seemed to reach above the 
clouds, and so steep that there was no possibility 
of getting out of the valley. This was a new per¬ 
plexity; so that when I compared this place with 
the desert island from which the roc had brought 
me, I found that I had gained nothing by the 
change. 

As I walked through this valley, I perceived it 
was strewed with diamonds, some of which were 
of surprising bigness. I took pleasure in looking 
upon them; but shortly saw at a distance such ob¬ 
jects as greatly diminished my satisfaction, and 
which I could not view without terror, namely, a 
great number of serpents, so monstrous that the 
least of them was capable of swallowing an elephant. 
They retired in the day-time to their dens, where 
they hid themselves from the roc, their enemy, and 
came out only in the night. 

I spent the day in walking about in the valley, 
resting myself at times in such places as I thought 
most convenient. When night came on I went into 
a cave, where I thought I might repose in safety. 
I secured the entrance, which was low and narrow, 
with a great stone, to preserve me from the ser- 


Second Voyage of Sittdbad the Sailor 143 

pents; but not so far as to exclude the light. I 
supped on part of my provisions, but the serpents, 
which began hissing round me, put me into such ex¬ 
treme fear that I did not sleep. When day appeared 
the serpents retired, and I came out of the cave 
trembling. I can justly say that I walked upon dia¬ 
monds without feeling any inclination to touch them. 
At last I sat down, and notwithstanding my appre¬ 
hensions, not having closed my eyes during the 
night, fell asleep, after having eaten a little more of 
my provisions. But I had scarcely shut my eyes 
when something that fell by me with a great noise 
awaked me. This was a large piece of raw meat; 
and at the same time I saw several others fall down 
from the rocks in different places. 

I had always regarded as fabulous what I had 
heard sailors and others relate of the valley of dia¬ 
monds, and of the stratagems employed by mer¬ 
chants to obtain jewels from thence; but now I 
found that they had stated nothing but the truth. 
For the fact is, that the merchants come to the 
neighbourhood of this valley, when the eagles have 
young ones, and throwing great joints of meat into 
the valley, the diamonds, upon whose points they 
fall, stick to them; the eagles, which are stronger in 
this country than anywhere else, pounce with great 
force upon those pieces of meat, and carry them to 
their nests on the precipices of the rocks to feed their 
young: the merchants at this time run to their nests, 
disturb and drive off the eagles by their shouts, and 
take away the diamonds that stick to the meat. 

I perceived in this device the means of my deliv¬ 
erance. 


144 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

Having collected together the largest diamonds 
I could find, I put them into the leather bag in which 
I used to carry my provisions, I took the largest of 
the pieces of meat, tied it close round me with the 
cloth of my turban, and then laid myself upon the 
ground, with my face downward, the bag of dia¬ 
monds being made fast to my girdle. 

I had scarcely placed myself in this posture when 
one of the eagles, having taken me up with the 
piece of meat to which I was fastened, carried me 
to his nest on the top of the mountain. The mer¬ 
chants immediately began their shouting to frighten 
the eagles; and when they had obliged them to quit 
their prey, one of them came to the nest where I 
was. He was much alarmed when he saw me; but 
recovering himself, instead of inquiring how I came 
thither, began to quarrel with me, and asked why 
I stole his goods? “You will treat me,” replied I, 
“ with more civility, when you know me better. Do 
not be uneasy; I have diamonds enough for you and 
myself, more than all the other merchants together. 
Whatever they have they owe to chance; but I se¬ 
lected for myself, in the bottom of the valley, those 
which you see in this bag.” I had scarcely done 
speaking, when the other merchants came crowding 
about us, much astonished to see me; but they were 
much more surprised when I told them my story. 

They conducted me to their encampment; and 
there having opened my bag, they were surprised at 
the largeness of my diamonds, and confessed that 
they had never seen any of such size and perfection. 
I prayed the merchant who owned the nest to which 
I had been carried (for every merchant had his 


Second Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor 145 

own) to take as many for his share as he pleased. 
He contented himself with one, and that, too, the 
least of them; and when I pressed him to take more, 
without fear of doing me any injury, “ No,” said he, 
“ I am very well satisfied with this, which is valuable 
enough to save me the trouble of making any more 
voyages, and will raise as great a fortune as I de¬ 
sire.” 

I spent the night with the merchants, to whom I 
related my story a second time, for the satisfaction 
of those who had not heard it. I could not moderate 
my joy when I found myself delivered from the 
danger I have mentioned. I thought myself in a 
dream, and could scarcely believe myself out of dan¬ 
ger. 

The merchants had thrown their pieces of meat 
into the valley for several days; and each of them be¬ 
ing satisfied with the diamonds that had fallen to his 
lot, we left the place the next morning, and travelled 
near high mountains, where there were serpents of 
a prodigious length, which we had the good fortune 
to escape. We took shipping at the first port we 
reached, and touched at the isle of Roha, where the 
trees grow that yield camphire. This tree is so large, 
and its branches so thick, that one hundred men may 
easily sit under its shade. The juice, of which the 
camphire is made, exudes from a hole bored in the 
upper part of the tree, and is received in a vessel, 
where it thickens to a consistency, and becomes what 
we call camphire. After the juice is thus drawn out, 
the tree withers and dies. 

In this island is also found the rhinoceros, an ani¬ 
mal less than the elephant, but larger than the buf- 


146 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

falo. It has a horn upon its nose, about a cubit in 
length; this horn is solid, and cleft through the mid¬ 
dle. The rhinoceros fights with the elephant, runs 
his horn into his belly, and carries him off upon his 
head; but the blood and the fat of the elephant run¬ 
ning into his eyes and making him blind, he falls to 
the ground; and then, strange to relate, the roc 
comes and carries them both away in her claws, for 
food for her young ones. 

I pass over many other things peculiar to this 
island, lest I should weary you. Here I exchanged 
some of my diamonds for merchandise. From hence 
we went to other islands, and at last, having touched 
at several trading towns of the continent, we landed 
at Bussorah, from whence I proceeded to Bagdad. 
There I immediately gave large presents to the poor, 
and lived honourably upon the vast riches I had 
brought, and gained with so much fatigue. 

Thus Sindbad ended the relation of the second 
voyage, gave Hindbad another hundred sequins, and 
invited him to come the next day to hear the account 
of the third. 


CHAPTER VIII 


THE WHITE CAT 

There was once a king who had three sons, all 
remarkably handsome in their persons, and in their 
tempers brave and noble. Some wicked courtiers 
made the king believe that the princes were impa¬ 
tient to wear the crown, and that they were contriv¬ 
ing a plot to deprive him of his sceptre and his 
kingdom. The king felt he was growing old; but 
as he found himself as capable of governing as he 
had ever been, he had no inclination to resign his 
power; and therefore, that he might pass the rest 
of his days peaceably, he determined to employ the 
princes in such a manner, as at once to give each of 
them the hope of succeeding to the crown, and fill 
up the time they might otherwise spend in so un- 
dutiful a manner. He sent for them to his cabinet, 
and after conversing with them kindly, he added: 
“ You must be sensible, my dear children, that my 
great age prevents me from attending so closely as 
I have hitherto done to state affairs. I fear this 
may be injurious to my subjects; I therefore desire 
to place my crown on the head of one of you, but it is 
no more than just, that in return for such a present, 
you should procure me some amusement in my re¬ 
tirement, before I leave the Capital for ever. I can- 


148 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

not help thinking, that a little dog, that is handsome, 
faithful, and engaging, would be the very thing to 
make me happy; so that without bestowing a prefer¬ 
ence on either of you, I declare that he who brings 
me the most perfect little dog shall be my successor. 
The princes were much surprised at the fancy of 
their father to have a little dog, yet they accepted 
the proposition with pleasure : and accordingly, after 
taking leave of the king, who presented them with 
abundance of money and jewels, and appointed that 
day twelvemonth for their return, they set off on 
their travels. 

Before taking leave of each other, however, they 
took some refreshment together, in an old palace 
about three miles out of town where they agreed to 
meet in the same place on that day twelvemonth, 
and go all together with their presents to court. 
They also agreed to change their names, that they 
might be unknown to every one in their travels. 

Each took a different road; but it is intended to 
relate the adventures of only the youngest, who was 
the handsomest, most amiable, and accomplished 
prince that had ever been seen. No day passed, as 
he travelled from town to town, that he did not 
buy all the handsome dogs that fell in his way; and 
as soon as he saw one that was handsomer than those 
he had .before, he made a present of the last; for 
twenty servants would have been scarcely sufficient 
to take care of all the dogs he was continually buy¬ 
ing. 

At length, wandering he knew not whither, he' 
found himself in a forest; night suddenly came on, 
and with it a violent storm of thunder, lightning, 


The White Cat 


149 


and rain. To add to his perplexity, he lost his path, 
and could find no way out of the forest. After he 
had groped about for a long time, he perceived a 
light, which made him suppose that he was not far 
from some house: he accordingly pursued his way 
towards it, and in a short time found himself at the 
gates of the most magnificent palace he ever beheld. 
The door that opened into it was made of gold, cov¬ 
ered with sapphire stones, which cast so resplendent 
a brightness over everything around, that scarcely 
could the strongest eyesight bear to look at it. This 
was the light the prince had seen from the forest. 
The walls of the building were of transparent porce¬ 
lain, variously coloured, and represented the history 
of all the fairies that had existed from the begin¬ 
ning of the world. The prince coming back to the 
golden door, observed a deer’s foot fastened to a 
chain of diamonds; he could not help wondering at 
the magnificence he beheld, and the security in which 
the inhabitants seemed to live; “ for,” said he to him¬ 
self, “ nothing can be easier than for thieves to steal 
this chain, and as many of the sapphire stones as 
would make their fortunes.” He pulled the chain, 
and heard a bell the sound of which was exquisite. 
In a few moments the door was opened; but he per¬ 
ceived nothing but twelve hands in the air, each hold¬ 
ing a torch. The prince was so astonished that he 
durst not move a step; when he felt himself gently 
pushed on by some other hands from behind him. 
He walked on, in great perplexity, till he entered a 
vestibule inlaid with porphyry and lapis-stone. 
There the most melodious voice he had ever heard, 
chanted the following words: 


150 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

“ Welcome, prince, no danger fear, 

Mirth and love attend you here; 

You shall break the magic spell, 

That on a beauteous lady fell. 

“ Welcome, prince, no danger fear, 

Mirth and love attend you here.’' 

The prince now advanced with confidence, won¬ 
dering what these words could mean; the hands 
moved him forward towards a large door of coral, 
which opened of itself to give him admittance into a 
splendid apartment built of mother-of-pearl, through 
which he passed into others so richly adorned with 
paintings and jewels, and so resplendently lighted 
with thousands of lamps, girandoles and lustres, that 
the prince imagined he must be in an enchanted pal¬ 
ace. When he had passed through sixty apartments, 
all equally splendid, he was stopped by the hands, 
and a large easy-chair advanced of itself towards the 
chimney; and the hands, which he observed were 
extremely white and delicate, took off his wet 
clothes, and supplied their place with the finest linen 
imaginable, and then added a commodious wrap¬ 
ping-gown, embroidered with the brightest gold, and 
all over enriched with pearls. The hands next 
brought him an elegant dressing-table, and combed 
his hair so very gently that he scarcely felt their 
touch. They held before him a beautiful basin, filled 
with perfumes, for him to wash his face and hands, 
and afterwards took off the wrapping-gown and 
dressed him in a suit of clothes of still greater splen¬ 
dour. When his dress was complete, they conducted 


The White Cat 


iSi 

him to an apartment he had not yet seen, and which 
also was magnificently furnished. There was in it a 
table spread for a repast, and everything upon it was 
of the purest gold adorned with jewels. The prince 
observed there were two covers set, and was won¬ 
dering who was to be his companion, when his at¬ 
tention was suddenly caught by a small figure not 
a foot high, which just then entered the room, and 
advanced towards him. It had on a long black veil, 
and was supported by two cats dressed in mourning, 
and with swords by their sides: they were followed 
by a numerous retinue of cats, some carrying cages 
full of rats and others mousetraps full of mice. 

The prince was at a loss what to think. The little 
figure now approached, and throwing aside her veil, 
he beheld a most beautiful white cat. She seemed 
young and melancholy, and addressing herself to the 
prince, she said, “Young prince, you are welcome; 
your presence affords me the greatest pleasure.” 
“ Madam,” replied the prince, “ I would fain thank 
you for your generosity, nor can I help observing 
that you must be an extraordinary creature to pos¬ 
sess with your present form the gift of speech and 
the magnificent palace I have seen.” “All this is 
very true,” answered the beautiful cat, “ but, prince, 
I am not fond of talking, and least of all do I like 
compliments; let us therefore sit down to supper.” 
The trunkless hands then placed the dishes on the 
table, and the prince and white cat seated them¬ 
selves. The first dish was a pie made of young 
pigeons, and the next was a fricassee of the fattest 
mice. The view of the one made the prince almost 
afraid to taste the other, till the white cat, who 


152 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

guessed his thoughts, assured him that there were 
certain dishes at table in which there was not a mor¬ 
sel of either rat or mouse, which had been dressed on 
purpose for him. Accordingly he ate heartily of 
such as she recommended. When supper was over, 
the prince perceived that the white cat had a portrait 
set in gold hanging to one of her feet. He begged 
her permission to look at it; when, to his astonish¬ 
ment, he saw the portrait of a handsome young man, 
that exactly resembled himself! He thought there 
was something very extraordinary in all this: yet, as 
the white cat sighed and looked very sorrowful, he 
did not venture to ask any questions. He con¬ 
versed with her on different subjects, and found her 
extremely well versed in every thing that was pass¬ 
ing in the world. When night was far advanced, the 
white cat wished him a good night, and he was con¬ 
ducted by the hands to his bedchamber, which was 
different still from any thing he had seen in the pal¬ 
ace, being hung with the wings of butterflies, mixed 
with the most curious feathers. His bed was of 
gauze, festooned with bunches of the gayest ribands, 
and the looking-glasses reached from the floor to the 
ceiling. The prince was undressed and put into bed 
by the hands, without speaking a word. He how¬ 
ever slept little, and in the morning was awaked by a 
confused noise. The hands took him out of bed, and 
put on him a handsome hunting-jacket. He looked 
into the court-yard, and perceived more than five 
hundred cats, busily employed in preparing for the 
field, for this was a day of festival. Presently the 
white cat came to his apartment; and having politely 
inquired after his health, she invited him to partake 


The White Cat 


i53 


of their amusement. The prince willingly accepted, 
mounted a wooden horse, richly caparisoned, which 
had been prepared for him, and which he was as¬ 
sured would gallop to admiration. The beautiful 
white cat mounted a monkey, dressed in a dragoon’s 
bonnet, which made her look so fierce that all the 
rats and mice ran away in the utmost terror. 

Every thing being ready, the horns sounded, and 
away they went; no hunting was ever more agree¬ 
able; the cats ran faster than the hares and rab¬ 
bits; and when they caught any they were hunted 
in the presence of the white cat,' and a thousand 
cunning tricks were played. Nor were the birds in 
safety; for the monkey made nothing of climbing up 
the trees, with the white cat on his back, to the nest 
of the young eagles. When the hunting was over, 
the whole retinue returned to the palace; and the 
white cat immediately exchanged her dragoon’s cap 
for the veil, and sat down to supper with the prince, 
who, being very hungry, ate heartily, and afterwards 
partook with her of the most delicious liqueurs, which 
being often repeated made him forget that he was to 
procure a little dog for the old king. He thought 
no longer of any thing but of pleasing the sweet lit¬ 
tle creature who received him so courteously; ac¬ 
cordingly every day was spent in new amusements. 
The prince had almost forgotten his country and re¬ 
lations, and sometimes even regretted that he was 
not a cat, so great was his affection for his mewing 
companions. “ Alas! ” said he to the white cat, 
“ how will it afflict me to leave you whom I love so 
much! Either make yourself a lady, or make me a 
cat.” She smiled at the prince’s wish, but made him 


154 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

scarcely any reply. At length the twelvemonth was 
nearly expired; the white cat, who knew the very 
day when the prince was to reach his father’s palace, 
reminded him that he had but three days longer to 
look for a perfect little dog. The prince, astonished 
at his own forgetfulness, began to afflict himself; 
when the cat told him not to be so sorrowful, since 
she would not only provide him with a little dog, 
but also with a wooden horse which should convey 
him safely in less than twelve hours. “ Look here,” 
said she, showing him an acorn, “ this contains what 
you desire.” The prince put the acorn to his ear, and 
heard the barking of a little dog. Transported with 
joy, he thanked the cat a thousand times, and the 
next day, bidding her tenderly adieu, he set out on 
his return. 

The prince arrived first at the place of rendezvous, 
and was soon joined by his brothers; they mutually 
embraced, and began to give an account of their 
success; when the youngest showed them only a little 
mongrel cur, telling them he thought it could not 
fail to please the king from its extraordinary beauty, 
the brothers trod on each other's toes under the ta¬ 
ble; as much as to say, we have not much to fear 
from this sorry looking animal. The next day 
they went together to the palace. The dogs of the 
two elder princes were lying on cushions, and so 
curiously wrapped around with embroidered quilts, 
that one would scarcely venture to touch them. The 
youngest produced his cur, dirty all over, and all 
wondered how the prince could hope to receive a 
crown for such a present. The king examined the 
two little dogs of the elder princes, and declared he 


The White Cat 


*55 


thought them so equally beautiful that he knew not 
to which, with justice, he could give the preference. 
They accordingly began to dispute; when the young¬ 
est prince, taking his acorn from his pocket, soon 
ended their contention; for a little dog appeared 
which could with ease go through the smallest ring, 
and was besides a miracle of beauty. The king 
could not possibly hesitate in declaring his satis¬ 
faction; yet, as he was not more inclined than the 
year before to part with his crown, he could think 
of nothing more to his purpose than telling his 
sons that he was extremely obliged to them for the 
pains they had taken; and that since they had suc¬ 
ceeded so well, he could not but wish they would 
make a second attempt; he therefore begged they 
would take another year for procuring him a piece 
of cambric, so fine as to be drawn through the eye of 
a small needle. 

The three princes thought this very hard; yet they 
set out in obedience to the king’s command. The 
two eldest took different roads, and the youngest re¬ 
mounted his wooden horse, and in a short time ar¬ 
rived at the palace of his beloved white cat, who re¬ 
ceived him with the greatest joy, while the trunkless 
hands helped him to dismount, and provided him 
with immediate refreshments; after which the prince 
gave the white cat an account of the admiration 
which had been bestowed on the beautiful little dog, 
and informed her of his father’s farther injunction. 
“ Make yourself perfectly easy, dear prince,” said 
she, “ I have in my palace some cats that are per¬ 
fectly clever in making such cambric as the king 
requires; so you have nothing to do but to give me 


156 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

the pleasure of your company while it is making; 
and I will procure you all the amusement possible.” 
She accordingly ordered the most curious fireworks 
to be played off in sight of the window of the apart¬ 
ment in which they were sitting; and nothing but 
festivity and rejoicing was heard throughout the 
palace for the prince’s return. As the white cat 
continually gave proofs of an excellent understand¬ 
ing, the prince was by no means tired of her com¬ 
pany ; she talked with him of state affairs, of thea¬ 
tres, of fashions; in short, she was at a loss on no 
subject whatever; so that when the prince was 
alone, he had plenty of amusement in thinking how 
it could possibly be that a small white cat could 
be endowed with all the powers of human creatures. 

The twelvemonth in this manner again passed in¬ 
sensibly away; but the cat took care to remind the 
prince of his duty in proper time. “ For once, my 
prince,” said she, “ I will have the pleasure of equip¬ 
ping you as suits your high rank; ” when looking 
into the courtyard, he saw a superb car, ornamented 
all over with gold, silver, pearls and diamonds, drawn 
by twelve horses as white as snow, and harnessed in 
the most sumptuous trappings; and behind the car a 
thousand guards richly apparelled were in waiting to 
attend on the prince’s person. She then presented 
him with a nut: “ You will find in it,” said she, “ the 
piece of cambric I promised you. Do not break the 
shell till you are in the presence of the king your 
father.” Then, to prevent the acknowledgments 
which the prince was about to offer, she hastily bade 
him adieu. Nothing could exceed the speed with 
which the snow-white horses conveyed this fortunate 


The White Cat 


*57 


prince to his father’s palace, where his brothers had 
just arrived before him. They embraced each other, 
and demanded an immediate audience of the king, 
who received them with the greatest kindness. The 
princes hastened to place at the feet of his majesty 
the curious present he had required them to procure. 
The eldest produced a piece of cambric that was so 
extremely fine, that his friends had no doubt of its 
passing the eye of the needle, which was now deliv¬ 
ered to the king, having been kept locked up in the 
custody of his majesty’s treasurer all the time. 
Every one supposed he would certainly obtain the 
crown. But when the king tried to draw it through 
the eye of the needle, it would not pass, though it 
failed but very little. Then came the second prince, 
who made as sure of obtaining the crown as his 
brother had done; but, alas! with no better success: 
for though his piece of cambric was exquisitely fine, 
yet it could not be drawn through the eye of the 
needle. It was now the youngest prince’s turn, who 
accordingly advanced, and opening an elegant little 
box inlaid’ with jewels, he took out a walnut, and 
cracked the shell, imagining he should immediately 
perceive his piece of cambric; but what was his as¬ 
tonishment to see nothing but a filbert! He did not 
however lose his hopes; he cracked the filbert, and it 
presented him with a cherry-stone. The lords of the 
court, who had assembled to witness this extraordi¬ 
nary trial, could not, any more than the princes his 
brothers, refrain from laughing, to think he should 
be so silly as to claim with them the crown on no bet¬ 
ter pretensions. The prince however cracked the 
cherry-stone, which was filled with a kernel: he 


158 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

divided it, and found in the middle a grain of wheat, 
and in that grain a millet seed. He was now abso¬ 
lutely confounded, and could not help muttering be¬ 
tween his teeth: “ O white cat, white cat, thou hast 
deceived me! ” At this instant he felt his hand 
scratched by the claw of a cat: upon which he again 
took courage, and opening the grain of millet seed, 
to the astonishment of all present, he drew forth a 
piece of cambric four hundred yards long, and fine 
enough to be drawn with perfect ease through the 
eye of the needle. When the king found he had no 
pretext left for refusing the crown to his youngest 
son, he sighed deeply, and it was easy to be seen that 
he was sorry for the prince’s success. “ My sons,” 
said he, “ it is so gratifying to the heart of a father 
to receive proofs of his children’s love and obedi¬ 
ence, that I cannot refuse myself the satisfaction of 
requiring of you one thing more. You must under¬ 
take another expedition; and whichever, by the end 
of a year, brings me the most beautiful lady, shall 
marry her, and obtain my crown.” 

So they again took leave of the king and of each 
other, and set out without delay, and in less than 
twelve hours our young prince arrived in his splen¬ 
did car at the palace of his dear white cat. Every 
thing went on as before, till the end of another year. 
At length only one day remained of the year, when 
the white cat thus addressed him : “ To-morrow, my 
prince, you must present yourself at the palace of 
your father, and give him a proof of your obedience. 
It depends only on yourself to conduct thither the 
most beautiful princess ever yet beheld, for the time 
is come when the enchantment by which I am bound 


The White Cat 


*59 


may be ended. You must cut off my head and tail,” 
continued she, “ and throw them into the fire.” 
“ I! ” said the prince hastily, “ I cut off your head 
and tail! You surely mean to try my affection, 
which, believe me, beautiful cat, is truly yours.” 
“ You mistake me, generous prince,” said she, “ I 
do not doubt your regard; but if you wish to see me 
in any other form than that of a cat, you must con¬ 
sent to do as I desire. Then you will have done me a 
service I shall never be able sufficiently to repay.” 
The prince’s eyes filled with tears as she spoke, yet 
he considered himself obliged to undertake the 
dreadful task, and the cat continuing to press him 
with greater eagerness, with a trembling hand he 
drew his sword, cut off her head and tail, and threw 
them into the fire. No sooner was this done, than 
the most beautiful lady his eyes had ever seen stood 
before him: and before he had sufficiently recovered 
from his surprise to speak to her, a long train of at¬ 
tendants, who, at the same moment as their mistress, 
were changed to their natural shapes, came to offer 
their congratulations to the queen, and inquire her 
commands. She received them with the greatest kind¬ 
ness ; and ordering them to withdraw, she thus ad¬ 
dressed the astonished prince. “ Do not imagine, 
dear prince, that I have always been a cat, or that I 
am of obscure birth. My father was the monarch of 
six kingdoms; he tenderly loved my mother, leaving 
her always at liberty to follow her own inclinations. 
Her prevailing passion was to travel; and a short 
time before my birth, having heard of some fairies 
who were in possession of the largest gardens filled 
with the most delicious fruits, she had so strong a 


160 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

desire to eat some of them, that she set out for the 
country in which they lived. She arrived at their 
abode which she found to be a magnificent palace, 
on all sides glittering with gold and precious stones. 
She knocked a long time at the gates; but no one 
came, nor could she perceive the least sign that it had 
any inhabitant. The difficulty, however, did but in¬ 
crease the violence of my mother’s longing; for she 
saw the tops of the trees above the garden walls 
loaded with the most luscious fruits. The queen, 
in despair, ordered her attendants to place tents 
close to the door of the palace; but having waited six 
weeks, without seeing any one pass the gates, she 
fell sick of vexation, and her life was despaired of. 

“ One night, as she lay half asleep, she turned her¬ 
self about, and opening her eyes, perceived a little 
old woman, very ugly and deformed, seated in the 
easy chair by her bedside. ‘ I, and my sister fairies/ 
said she, ‘take it very ill that your majesty should so 
obstinately persist in getting some of our fruit; but 
since so precious a life is at stake, we consent to give 
you as much as you can carry away, provided you 
will give us in return what we shall ask.’ ‘ Ah! kind 
fairy/ cried the queen, ‘ I will give you anything I 
possess, even my very kingdoms, on condition that I 
eat of your fruit.’ The old fairy then informed the 
queen that what they required was, that she would 
give them the child she was going to have, as soon 
as she should be born; adding, that every possible 
care should be taken of her, and that she should be¬ 
come the most accomplished princess. The queen 
replied, that however cruel the condition, she must 
accept it, since nothing but the fruit could save her 


The White Cat 


161 


life. In short, dear prince,” continued the lady, “ my 
mother instantly got out of bed, was dressed by her 
attendants, entered the palace, and satisfied her long¬ 
ing. When the queen had eaten her fill, she ordered 
four thousand mules to be procured, and loaded with 
the fruit, which had the virtue of continuing all the 
year round in a state of perfection. Thus provided, 
she returned to the king, my father, who with the 
whole court, received her with rejoicings, as it was 
before imagined she would die of disappointment. 
All this time the queen said nothing to my father of 
the promise she had made, to give her daughter to the 
fairies; so that, when the time was come that she 
expected my birth, she grew very melancholy; till at 
length, being pressed by the king, she declared to him 
the truth. Nothing could exceed his affliction, when 
he heard that his only child, when born, was to be 
given to the fairies. He bore it, however, as well as 
he could, for fear of adding to my mother’s grief; 
and also believing he should find some means of 
keeping me in a place of safety, which the fairies 
would not be able to approach. As soon therefore as 
I was born, he had me conveyed to a tower in the 
palace, to which there were twenty flights of stairs, 
and a door to each, of which my father kept the key, 
so that none came near me without his consent. 
When the fairies heard of what had been done, they 
sent first to demand me; and on my father’s refusal, 
they let loose a monstrous dragon, who devoured 
men, women and children, and the breath of whose 
nostrils destroyed every thing it came near, so that 
the trees and plants began to die in great abundance. 
The grief of the king, at seeing this, could scarcely 


162 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

be equalled; and finding that his whole kingdom 
would in a short time be reduced to famine, he con¬ 
sented to give me into their hands. I was accord¬ 
ingly laid in a cradle of mother-of-pearl, ornamented 
with gold and jewels, and carried to their palace, 
when the dragon immediately disappeared. The 
fairies placed me in a tower of their palace, ele¬ 
gantly furnished, but to which there was no door, so 
that whoever approached was obliged to come by the 
windows, which were a great height from the 
ground: from these I had the liberty of getting out 
into a delightful garden, in which were baths, and 
every sort of cooling fruit. In this place was I edu¬ 
cated by the fairies, who behaved to me with the 
greatest kindness; my clothes were splendid, and I 
was instructed in every kind of accomplishment. In 
short, prince, if I had never seen any one but them¬ 
selves, I should have remained very happy. One of 
the windows of my tower overlooked a long avenue 
shaded with trees, so that I had never seen in it a 
human creature. One day, however, as I was talk¬ 
ing at this window with my parrot, I perceived a 
young gentleman who was listening to our conversa¬ 
tion. As I had never seen a man, but in pictures, I 
was not sorry for the opportunity of gratifying my 
curiosity. I thought him a very pleasing object, and 
he at length bowed in the most respectful manner, 
without daring to speak, for he knew that I was in 
the palace of the fairies. When it began to grow 
dark he went away, and I vainly endeavoured to see 
which road he took. The next morning, as soon as it 
was light, I again placed myself at the window, 
and had the pleasure of seeing that the gentleman 


The White Cat 


163 


had returned to the same place. He now spoke to 
me through a speaking-trumpet, and informed me he 
thought me a most charming lady, and that he 
should be very unhappy if he did not pass his life in 
my company. 

I resolved to find some means of escaping from 
my tower with the engaging prince I had seen. I 
was not long in devising a means for the execution 
of my project. I begged the fairies to bring me a 
netting-needle, a mesh and some cord, saying I 
wished to make some nets to amuse myself with 
catching birds at my window. This they readily 
complied with, and in a short time I completed a lad¬ 
der long enough to reach the ground. I now sent my 
parrot to the prince, to beg he would come to his 
usual place, as I wished to speak with him. He did 
not fail, and finding the ladder, mounted it, and 
quickly entered my tower. This at first alarmed me; 
but the charms of his conversation had restored me 
to tranquillity, when all at once the window opened, 
and the fairy Violent, mounted on the dragon’s back, 
rushed into the tower. My beloved prince thought 
of nothing but how to defend me from their fury; 
for I had had time to relate to him my story, previ¬ 
ous to this cruel interruption; but their numbers 
overpowered him, and the fairy Violent had the bar¬ 
barity to command the dragon to devour my prince 
before my eyes. In my despair, I would have thrown 
myself also into the mouth of the horrible monster, 
but this they took care to prevent, saying my life 
should be preserved for greater punishment. The 
fairy then touched me with her wand, and I instantly 
became a white cat. She next conducted me to this 


164 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

palace, which belonged to my father, and gave me a 
train of cats for my attendants, together with the 
twelve hands which waited on your highness. She 
then informed me of my birth, and the death of my 
parents, and pronounced upon me what she imag¬ 
ined the greatest of maledictions: That I should not 
be restored to my natural figure till a young prince, 
the perfect resemblance of him I had lost, should cut 
off my head and tail. You are that perfect resem¬ 
blance; and, accordingly, you have ended the en¬ 
chantment. I need not add, that I already love you 
more than my life. Let us therefore hasten to the 
palace of the king your father, and obtain his appro¬ 
bation to our marriage.” 

The prince and princess accordingly set out side 
by side, in a car of still greater splendour than be¬ 
fore, and reached the palace just as the two brothers 
had arrived with two beautiful princesses. The 
king, hearing that each of his sons had succeeded in 
finding what he had required, again began to think 
of some new expedient to delay the time of his 
resigning his crown; but when the whole court were 
with the king assembled to pass judgment, the 
princess who accompanied the youngest, perceiving 
his thoughts by his countenance, stepped majestically 
forward, and thus addressed him: “ What pity that 
your majesty, who is so capable of governing, 
should think of resigning the crown! I am fortu¬ 
nate enough to have six kingdoms in my possession; 
permit me to bestow one on each of the eldest 
princes, and to enjoy the remaining four in the so¬ 
ciety of the youngest. And may it please your ma¬ 
jesty to keep your own kingdom, and make no de- 


The White Cat 


165 

cision concerning the beauty of three princesses, who, 
without such a proof of your majesty’s preference, 
will no doubt live happily together! ” The air re¬ 
sounded with the applauses of the assembly. The 
young prince and princess embraced the king, and 
next their brothers and sisters; the three weddings 
immediately took place; and the kingdoms were di¬ 
vided as the princess had proposed. 


CHAPTER IX 


THE GOLDEN GOOSE 

There was a man who had three sons, the young¬ 
est of whom was considered very silly, and every¬ 
body used to mock him and make fun of him. The 
eldest son wanted to go and cut wood in the forest, 
and before he left home his mother prepared beauti¬ 
ful pancakes and a bottle of wine for him to take 
with him, so that he might not suffer from hunger 
or thirst. 

As he entered the forest he met a gray old man, 
who bade him “ Good-morning,” and said: “ Give 
me a little piece of cake out of your basket and a 
drop of wine out of your bottle, for I am very 
hungry and thirsty.” 

But the clever son replied: “ What, give you my 
cake and my wine! Why, if I did, I should have 
none for myself. Not I, indeed, so take yourself 
off! ” and he left the man standing and went on. 

The young man began cutting down a tree, but it 
was not long before he made a false stroke: the axe 
slipped and cut his arm so badly that he was obliged 
to go home and have it bound up. Now, this false 
stroke was caused by the little gray old man. 

Next day the second son went into the forest to 
cut wood, and his mother gave him a cake and a 


The Golden Goose 


167 


bottle of wine. As he entered the wood the same 
little old man met him, and begged for a piece of 
cake and a drop of wine. But the second son 
answered rudely: “ What I might give to you I shall 
want myself, so be off.” 

Then he left the little old man standing in the 
road, and walked on. His punishment soon came; 
he had scarcely given two strokes on a tree with his 
axe, when he hit his leg such a terrible blow that 
he was obliged to limp home in great pain. 

Then the stupid son said to his father, “ Let me 
go for once and cut wood in the forest.” 

But his father said: “ No, your brothers have 
been hurt already, and it would be worse for you, 
who don’t understand wood-cutting.” 

The boy, however, begged so hard to be allowed 
to go that his father said: “ There, get along with 
you; you will buy your experience very dearly, I 
expect.” 

His mother, however, gave him a cake which had 
been made with water and baked in the ashes, and a 
bottle of sour beer. 

When he reached the wood the very same little 
old man met him, and after greeting him kindly, 
said: “ Give me a little of your cake and a drop 
from your bottle, for I am very hungry and thirsty.” 

“ Oh,” replied the simple youth, “ I have only a 
cake, which has been baked in the ashes, and some 
sour beer; but you are welcome to a share of it. 
Let us sit down, and eat and drink together.” 

So they seated themselves, and, lo and behold, 
when the youth opened his basket, the cake had been 
turned into a beautiful cake, and the sour beer into 


168 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

wine. After they had eaten and drank enough, the 
little old man said: “ Because you have been kind- 
hearted, and shared your dinner with me, I will 
make you in future lucky in all you undertake. 
There stands an old tree; cut it down, and you will 
find something good at the root.” 

Then the old man said “ Farewell,” and left him. 

The youth set to work, and very soon succeeded 
in felling the tree, when he found sitting at the roots 
a goose, whose feathers were of pure gold. He took 
it up, and, instead of going home, carried it with 
him to an inn at a little distance, where he intended 
to pass the night. 

The landlord had three daughters, who looked at 
the goose with envious eyes. They had never seen 
such a wonderful bird, and longed to have at least 
one of its feathers. “ Ah,” thought the eldest, “ I 
shall soon have an opportunity to pluck one of them;” 
and so it happened, for not long after the young man 
left the room. She instantly went up to the bird 
and took hold of its wing, but as she did so, the 
finger and thumb remained and stuck fast. In a 
short time after the second sister came in with the 
full expectation of gaining a golden feather, but as 
she touched her sister to move her from the bird, 
her hand stuck fast to her sister’s dress, and neither 
of them could free herself. At last, in came the 
third sister with the same intention. “ Keep away, 
keep away! ” screamed the other two; “ in heaven’s 
name keep away! ” 

But she could not imagine why she should keep 
away. If they were near the golden bird, why 
should not she be there ? So she made a spring for- 


The Golden Goose 


169 


ward and touched her second sister, and immedi¬ 
ately she also was made a prisoner, and in this posi¬ 
tion they were obliged to remain by the goose all 
night. 

In the morning the young man came in, took the 
goose on his arm, and went away without troubling 
himself about the three girls, who were following 
close behind him. And as he walked quickly, they 
were obliged to run one behind the other, left or 
right of him, just as he was inclined to go. 

In the middle of a field they were met by the par¬ 
son of the parish, who looked with wonder at the 
procession as it came near him. “ Shame on you! ” 
he cried out. “ What are you about, you bold-faced 
hussies, running after a young man in that way 
through the fields ? Go home, all of you.” 

He placed his hand on the youngest to pull her 
back, but the moment he touched her he also became 
fixed, and was obliged to follow and run like the 
rest. In a few minutes the clerk met them, and 
when he saw the parson runing after the girls, he 
wondered greatly, and cried out, “ Halloa, master 
parson, where are you running in such haste ? Have 
you forgotten that there is a christening to-day ? ” 
And as the procession did not stop, he ran after it, 
and seized the parson’s gown. 

In a moment he found that his hand was fixed, 
and he also had to run like the rest. And now there 
were five trotting along, one behind the other. 
Presently two peasants came by with their sickles 
from the field. The parson called out to them, and 
begged them to come and release him and the clerk. 
Hardly had they touched the clerk when they also 


170 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

stuck fast as the others, and the simpleton with his 
golden goose travelled with the seven. 

After awhile they came to a city in which reigned 
a king who had a daughter of such a melancholy 
disposition that no one could make her laugh; there¬ 
fore he issued a decree that whoever would make 
the princess laugh should have her in marriage. 

Now, when the simple youth heard this, he ran 
before her, and the whole seven trotted after him. 
The sight was so ridiculous that the moment the 
princess saw it she burst into a violent fit of laughter 
and they thought she would never leave off. 

After this, the youth went to the king, and de¬ 
manded his daughter in marriage, according to the 
king’s decree; but his majesty did not quite like to 
have the young man for a son-in-law, so he said that, 
before he could consent to the marriage, the youth 
must bring him a man who could drink all the wine 
in the king’s cellar. 

The simpleton went into the forest, for he thought, 
“ If anyone can help me, it is the little gray man.” 
When he arrived at the spot where he had cut down 
the tree, there stood a man with a very miserable 
face. 

The youth asked him why he looked so sorrowful. 

“ Oh,” he exclaimed, “ I suffer such dreadful 
thirst that nothing seems able to quench it; and cold 
water I cannot endure. I have emptied a cask of 
wine already, but it was just like a drop of water on 
a hot stone.” 

“ I can help you,” cried the young man; “ come 
with me, and you shall have your fill, I promise 
you.” 


The Golden Goose 


I 7 I 

Upon this he led the man into the king’s cellar, 
where he opened the casks one after another, and 
drank and drank till his back ached; and before the 
day closed he had quite emptied the king’s cellar. 

Again the young man asked for his bride, but the 
king was annoyed at the thought of giving his 
daughter to such a common fellow, and to get rid 
of him he made another condition. He said that no 
man should have his daughter who could not find 
someone able to eat up a whole mountain of bread. 

Away went the simpleton to the forest as before, 
and there in the same place sat a man binding him¬ 
self round tightly with a belt, and making the most 
horrible faces. As the youth approached, he cried, 
“ I have eaten a whole ovenful of rolls, but it has 
not satisfied me a bit; I am as hungry as ever, and 
my stomach feels so empty that I am obliged to 
bind it round tightly, or I should die of hunger.” 

The simpleton could hardly contain himself for 
joy when he heard this. “ Get up,” he exclaimed, 
“ and come with me, and I will give you plenty to 
eat, I’ll warrant.” 

So he led him to the king’s court, where his 
majesty had ordered all the flour in the kingdom to 
be made into bread, and piled up in a huge mountain. 
The hungry man placed himself before the bread, 
and began to eat, and before evening the whole pile 
had disappeared. 

Then the simpleton went a third time to the king, 
and asked for his bride, but the king made several 
excuses, and at last said that if he could bring him 
a ship that would travel as well by land as by water, 


172 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

then he should, without any further conditions, 
marry his daughter. 

The youth went at once straight to the forest, and 
saw the same old gray man to whom he had given 
his cake. “ Ah,” he said, as the youth approached, 
“ it was I who sent the men to eat and drink, and I 
will also give you a ship that can travel by land or 
by sea, because when you thought I was poor you 
were kind-hearted, and gave me food and drink.” 

The youth took the ship, and when the king saw 
it he was quite surprised; but he could not any 
longer refuse to give him his daughter in marriage. 
The wedding was celebrated with great pomp, and 
after the king’s death the simple woodcutter inher¬ 
ited the whole kingdom, and lived happily with his 
wife. 


CHAPTER X 


THE TWELVE BROTHERS 

There were once a king and queen who had 
twelve children—all boys. Now, one day the king 
told his wife that if a daughter should be born, all 
the sons must die—that their sister alone might in¬ 
herit his kingdom and riches. 

So the king had twelve coffins made, which were 
filled with shavings, and in each was the little pil¬ 
low for the dead. He had them locked up in a 
private room, the key of which he gave to the queen, 
praying her not to speak of it to anyone. But the 
poor mother was so unhappy that she wept for a 
whole day, and looked so sad that her youngest son 
noticed it. 

He had the Bible name of Benjamin, and was al¬ 
ways with his mother. 

“ Dear mother,” he said, “ why are you so sorrow¬ 
ful?” 

“ My child, I may not tell you,” she replied; but 
the boy allowed her no rest till she unlocked the 
door of the private room, and showed him the twelve 
coffins filled with shavings. 

“ Dearest Benjamin,” she said, “ these coffins are 
for you and your brothers; for if you should ever 
have a little sister, you will all die, and be buried in 
them. 


174 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

She wept bitterly as she told him, but her son 
comforted her, and said, “ Do not weep, dear mother. 
We will take care of ourselves, and go far away.” 

Then she took courage, and said, “ Yes, go away 
with your eleven brothers, and remain in the forest; 
and let one climb a tree, from whence he will be 
able to see the tower of the castle. If I should have 
a son, a white flag shall be hoisted, and then you 
may return home; but if you see a red flag, you will 
know it is a girl, and then hasten away as fast as 
you can, and may Heaven protect you! Every night 
I will pray for you, that you may not suffer from the 
cold in winter or the heat in summer.” 

Then she blessed all her sons, and they went away 
into the forest, while each in turn mounted a high 
tree daily, to watch for the flag on the tower. 

Eleven days passed, and it was Benjamin’s turn 
to watch. He saw the flag hoisted, and it was red— 
the signal that they must die. The brothers were 
angry, and said, “ Shall we suffer death on account 
of a maiden ? When we find one we will kill her, to 
avenge ourselves.” 

They went still farther into the forest, and came 
upon a most pleasant little cottage, which was un¬ 
inhabited. “We will make this our home,” they 
said; “and Benjamin, as you are the youngest and 
weakest, you shall stay at home and keep house, 
while we go out and procure food.” 

So they wandered about the forest, shooting 
hares, wild rabbits, pigeons and other birds, which 
they brought to Benjamin to prepare for food. In 
this cottage they lived for ten years happily together, 
so that the time passed quickly. 


The Twelve Brothers 


T 7 S 

Their little sister was growing a great girl. She 
had a sweet disposition, and was very beautiful to 
look upon. She wore rich clothes, and a golden 
star on her forehead. 

One day, when she was about ten years old, she 
discovered in her mother’s wardrobe twelve shirts. 
“ Mother,” she exclaimed, “ whose shirts are these? 
They are much too small for my father.” 

The queen sighed as she replied, “ Dear child, 
these shirts belong to your twelve brothers.” 

“ Twelve brothers! ” cried the little maiden. 
“ Where are they ? I have not even heard of them.” 

“ Heaven knows where they are,” was the reply; 
“ but they are wandering about the world some¬ 
where.” Then the queen took her little daughter to 
the private room in the castle, and showed her the 
twelve coffins which had been prepared for her 
brothers, and related to her, with many tears, why 
they had left home. 

“ Dear mother,” said the child, “ do not weep. I 
will go and seek my brothers.” So she took the 
twelve shirts with her, and wandered away into the 
forest. 

She walked for a whole day, and in the evening 
came to a cottage, stepped in, and found a young 
boy, who stared with astonishment at seeing a 
beautiful little girl dressed in rich clothing and 
wearing a golden star on her forehead. 

At last he said, “ Who are you, and what do you 
want ? ” 

“ I am a king’s daughter,” she said, “ and I seek 
my twelve brothers, and I intend to search for them 
till I find them; ” and she showed him their shirts. 


176 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

Then Benjamin knew that she was his sister, and 
said, “ I am your youngest brother, Benjamin.’' 
Then she wept for joy. They kissed each other with 
deep affection, and were for a time very happy. 

At last Benjamin said, “ Dear sister, we have 
made a vow that the first young maiden we meet 
should die, because through a maiden we have lost 
our kingly rights.” 

“ I would willingly die,” she said, “ if by so doing 
I could restore my brothers to their rightful posses¬ 
sions.” 

“ No, you shall not die,” he replied. “ Hide your¬ 
self behind this tub until our eleven brothers come 
home; then I will make an agreement with them.” 

At night the brothers returned from hunting, and 
the supper was ready. While they sat at table, one 
of them said, “ Well, Benjamin, have you any 
news? ” 

“ Perhaps I have,” he said, “ although it seems 
strange that I, who stay at home, should know more 
than you, who have been out.” 

“ Well, tell us your news,” said one. So he said: 

“ I will tell you if you will make one promise.” 

“ Yes, yes ! ” they all cried. “ What is it? ” 

“ Well, then, promise me that the first maiden you 
meet with in the forest shall not die.” 

“ Yes, yes ! ” said they all; “ she shall have mercy ; 
but tell us.” 

“ Then,” said the youngest brother, “ our sister is 
here; ” and, rising, he lifted the tub, and the king’s 
daughter came forth in her royal robes and with a 
golden star on her forehead, and looking so fair and 
delicate and beautiful that the brothers were full 


The Twelve Brothers 177 

of joy, and kissed and embraced her with the fond¬ 
est affection. 

She stayed with Benjamin, and helped him in 
keeping the house clean and cooking the game which 
the others brought home. Everything was so nicely 
managed now and with so much order, the curtains 
and the quilts were beautifully white, and the din¬ 
ners cooked so well that the brothers were always 
contented, and lived in great unity with their little 
sister. 

There was a pretty garden around the house in 
which they lived, and one day, when they were all 
at home dining together, and enjoying themselves, 
the maiden went out into the garden to gather them 
some flowers. 

She had tended twelve lilies with great care, and 
they were now in such splendid bloom that she 
determined to pluck them for her brothers, to please 
them. 

But the moment she gathered the lilies, her twelve 
brothers were changed into twelve ravens, and flew 
away over the trees of the forest, while the charm¬ 
ing house and garden vanished from her sight. Now 
was the poor little maiden left all alone in the wild 
wood, and knew not what to do; but on turning 
round she saw a curious old woman standing near, 
who said to her, “ My child, what hast thou done ? 
Why didst thou not leave those white flowers to 
grow on their stems ? They were thy twelve 
brothers, and now they will always remain ravens.” 

“ Is there no way to set them free ? ” asked the 
maiden, weeping. 

“ No way in the world,” she replied, “ but one, and 


178 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

that is far too difficult for thee to perform; yet it 
would break the spell and set them free. Hast thou 
firmness enough to remain dumb seven years, and 
not speak to anyone, or even laugh ? for if ever you 
utter a single word, or fail only once in the seven 
years, all you have done before will be vain, and at 
this one word your brothers will die.” 

“ Yes,” said the maiden, “ I can do this to set 
my brothers free.” 

Then the maiden climbed into a tree, and, seating 
herself in the branches, began to knit. 

She remained here, living on the fruit that grew 
on the tree, and without laughing or uttering a 
word. 

As she sat in her tree, the king, who was hunting, 
had a favourite hound, who very soon discovered 
her, ran to the tree on which the maiden sat, sprang 
up to it, and barked at her violently. 

The king came nearer, and saw the beautiful 
king’s daughter with the golden star on her fore¬ 
head. He was so struck with her beauty that he 
begged her to come down, and asked her to be his 
bride. She did not speak a word, but merely nodded 
her head. Then the king himself climbed up into 
the tree, and bringing her down, seated her on his 
own horse and galloped away with her to his home. 

The marriage was soon after celebrated with great 
pomp, but the bride neither spoke nor laughed. 

When they had lived happily together for some 
years, the king’s mother, a wicked woman, began to 
raise evil reports about the queen, and said to the 
king, “ It is some beggar girl you have picked up. 
Who can tell what wicked tricks she practises. She 


The Tivclve Brothers 


179 


can’t help being dumb, but why does she never 
laugh? unless she has a guilty conscience.” The 
king at first would listen to none of these suspicions, 
but she urged him so long, and accused the queen 
of such wicked conduct, that at last he condemned 
her to be burnt to death. 

Now in the court-yard a great fire was kindled, 
and the king stood weeping at a window overlooking 
the court of the palace, for he still loved her dearly. 
He saw her brought forth and tied to the stake; the 
fire kindled, and the flames with their forked tongues 
were creeping towards her, when at the last moment 
the seven years were, past, and suddenly a rustling 
noise of wings was heard in the air; twelve black 
ravens alighted on the earth and instantly assumed 
their own forms—they were the brothers of the 
queen. 

They tore down the pile and extinguished the fire, 
set their sister free, and embraced her tenderly. The 
queen, who was now able to speak, told the king 
why she had been dumb and had never laughed. 

The delight of the king was only equalled by his 
anger against the wicked witch, who was brought 
to justice and ordered to be thrown into a vat of oil 
full of poisonous snakes, where she died a dreadful 
death. 


CHAPTER XI 


THE FAIR ONE WITH THE GOLDEN LOCKS 

There was once a most beautiful and amiable 
princess who was called “ The Fair One with 
Locks of Gold,” for her hair shone brighter than 
gold, and flowed in curls down to her feet, her head 
was always encircled by a wreath of beautiful flow¬ 
ers, and pearls and diamonds. 

A handsome, rich, young prince, whose territories 
joined to hers, was deeply in love with the reports 
he heard of her, and sent to demand her in mar¬ 
riage. The ambassador sent with proposals was most 
sumptuously attired, and surrounded by lackeys on 
beautiful horses, as well as charged with every kind 
of compliment, from the anxious prince, who hoped 
he would bring the princess back with him; but 
whether it was that she was not that day in a good 
humour, or that she did not like the speeches made 
by the ambassador, I don’t know, but she returned 
thanks to his master for the honour he intended her, 
and said she had no inclination to marry. When 
the ambassador arrived at the king’s chief city, where 
he was expected with great impatience, the people 
were extremely afflicted to see him return without 
the Fair One with the Locks of Gold; and the king 
wept like a child. There was a youth at court whose 


The Fair One with the Golden Locks 181 


beauty outshone the sun, the gracefulness of whose 
person was not to be equalled, and for his graceful¬ 
ness and wit, he was called Avenant: the king loved 
him, and indeed every body except the envious. 
Avenant being one day in company with some per¬ 
sons, inconsiderately said, “ If the king had sent 
me to the Fair One with Locks of Gold, I dare say 
I could have prevailed on her to return with me.” 
These enviers of Avenant’s prosperity immediately 
ran open mouthed to the king, saying, “ Sir, sir, 
what does your majesty think Avenant says? He 
boasts that if you had sent him to the Fair One 
with the Golden Hair, he could have brought her 
with him; which shows he is so vain as to think 
himself handsomer than your majesty, and that her 
love for him would have made her follow him wher¬ 
ever he went.” This put the king into a violent 
rage. “ What! ” said he, “ does this youngster make 
a jest at my misfortune, and pretend to set himself 
above me ? Go and put him immediately in my great 
tower, and there let him starve to death.” The 
king’s guards went and seized Avenant, who 
thought no more of what he had said, dragged him 
to prison, and used him in the most cruel manner. 

One day when he was almost quite spent, he said 
to himself, fetching a deep sigh, “ Wherein can I 
have offended the king? He has not a more faith¬ 
ful subject than myself; nor have I ever done any 
thing to displease him.” The king happened at that 
time to pass by the tower; and stopped to hear him, 
notwithstanding the persuasions of those that were 
with him; “Hold your peace,” replied the king, 
“ and let me hear him out.” Which having done, 


182 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

and being greatly moved by his sufferings, he 
opened the door of the tower, and called him by his 
name. Upon which Avenant came forth in a sad 
condition, and, throwing himself at the king’s feet, 
“ What have I done, sir,” said he, “ that your 
majesty should use me thus severely? ” “ Thou hast 
ridiculed me and my ambassador,” replied the king; 
“ and hast said, that if I had sent thee to the Fair 
One with Locks of Gold, thou couldst have brought 
her with thee.” “ It is true, sir,” replied Avenant, 
“ for I would have so thoroughly convinced her of 
your transcending qualities, that it should not have 
been in her power to have denied me; and this, 
surely, I said in the name of your majesty.” The 
king found in reality he had done no injury; so, 
he took him away with him, repenting heartily of 
the wrong he had done him. After having given 
him an excellent supper, the king sent for him into 
his cabinet. “ Avenant,” said he, “ I still love the 
Fair One with Locks of Gold; I have a mind to send 
thee to her, to try whether thou canst succeed.” 
Avenant replied, he was ready to obey his majesty 
in all things, and would depart the very next morn¬ 
ing. “ Hold,” said the king, “ I will provide thee 
first with a most sumptuous equipage.” “ There is 
no necessity for that,” answered Avenant; “ I need 
only a good horse and your letters of credence.” 
Upon this the king embraced him; being overjoyed 
to see him so soon ready. 

It was upon a Monday morning that he took leave 
of the king and his friends. Being on his journey 
by break of day, and entering into a spacious 
meadow, a fine thought came into his head: he 


The Fair One with the Golden Locks 183 

alighted immediately, and seated himself by the 
bank of a little stream that watered one side of the 
meadow, and wrote the sentiment down in his 
pocket book. After he had done writing, he looked 
about him every way, being charmed with the beau¬ 
ties of the place, and suddenly perceived a large 
gilded carp, which stirred a little, and that was all it 
could do, for having attempted to catch some little 
flies, it had leaped so far out of the water, as to 
throw itself upon the grass, where it was almost 
dead, not being able to recover its natural element. 
Avenant took pity on the poor creature, and though 
it was a fish-day, and he might have carried it away 
for his dinner, he took it up, and gently put it again 
into the river, where the carp, feeling the refreshing 
coolness of the water, began to rejoice, and sunk to 
the bottom; but soon rising up again, brisk and gay, 
to the side of the river; “ Avenant,” said the carp, 
“ I thank you for the kindness you have done me; 
had it not been for you, I had died; but you have 
saved my life, and I will reward you.” After this 
short compliment, the carp darted itself to the bot¬ 
tom of the water, leaving Avenant not a little sur¬ 
prised at its wit and great civility. 

Another day, as he was pursuing his journey, he 
saw a crow in great distress: being pursued by a 
huge eagle, he took his bow, which he always carried 
abroad with him, and aiming at the eagle, let fly an 
arrow, which pierced him through the body, so that 
he fell down dead; which the crow seeing, came in 
an ecstasy of joy, and perched upon a tree. “ Ave¬ 
nant,” said the crow, “ you have been extremely gen¬ 
erous to succour me, who am but a poor wretched 


184 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

crow; but I am not ungrateful and will do you as 
good a turn/’ Avenant admired the wit of the crow, 
and continuing his journey, he entered into a wood 
so early one morning, that he could scarcely see his 
way, where he heard an owl crying out like an owl 
in despair. So looking about every where, he at 
length came to a place where certain fowlers had 
spread their nets in the night-time to catch little 
birds. “ What pity ’tis,” said he, “ men are only 
made to torment one another, or else to persecute 
poor animals who never do them any harm! ” So 
saying, he drew his knife, cut the cords, and set the 
owl at liberty; who, before he took wing, said, 
“ Avenant, the fowlers are coming, I should have 
been taken, and must have died, without your assist¬ 
ance : I have a grateful heart, and will remember it.” 

These were the three most remarkable adventures 
that befell Avenant in his journey; and when he ar¬ 
rived at the end of it, he washed himself, combed 
and powdered his hair, and put on a suit of cloth of 
gold: which having done, he put a rich embroidered 
scarf about his neck, with a small basket, wherein 
was a little dog which he was very fond of. And 
Avenant was so amiable, and did every thing with 
so good a grace, that when he presented himself at 
the gate of the palace, all the guards paid him great 
respect, and every one strove who should first give 
notice to the Fair One with Locks of Gold, that 
Avenant, the neighbouring king’s ambassador, de¬ 
manded audience. The princess on hearing the 
name of Avenant, said, “ It has a pleasing sound, 
and I dare say he is agreeable and pleases every 
body; and she said to her maids of honour, “ go 


The Fair One with the Golden Locks 185 

fetch me my rich embroidered gown of blue satin, 
dress my hair, and bring my wreaths of fresh flow¬ 
ers : let me have my high shoes, and my fan, and let 
my audience chamber and throne be clean, and richly 
adorned; for I would have him every where with 
truth say, that I am really the Fair One with Locks 
of Gold.” Thus all her women were employed to 
dress her as a queen should be. At length, she went 
to her great gallery of looking-glasses, to see if any 
thing was wanting; after which she ascended her 
throne of gold, ivory, and ebony, the fragrant smell 
of which was superior to the choicest balm. She 
also commanded her maids of honour to take their 
instruments, and play to their own singing so sweetly 
that none should be disgusted. 

Avenant was conducted into the chamber of audi¬ 
ence, were he stood so transported with admiration, 
that, as he afterwards said, he had scarcely power to 
open his lips. At length, however, he took courage, 
and made his speech wonderfully well; wherein he 
prayed the princess not to let him be so unfortunate 
as to return without her. “ Gentle Avenant,” said 
she, “ all the reasons you have laid before me, are 
very good, and I assure you, I would rather favour 
you than any other; but you must know, about a 
month since, I went to take the air by the side of a 
river, with my maids of honour; as I was pulling 
off my glove, I pulled a ring from my finger, which 
by accident fell into the river. This ring I valued 
more than my whole kingdom; whence you may 
judge how much I am afflicted by the loss of it. And 
I have made a vow never to hearken to any proposals 
of marriage, unless the ambassador who makes them, 


186 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

shall also bring my ring. This is the present which 
you have to make me; otherwise you may talk your 
heart out, for months and even years shall never 
change my resolution/’ When he returned to his 
lodgings, he went to bed supperless; and his little 
dog, who was called Cabriole, made a fasting night 
of it too, and went and lay down by his master; who 
did nothing all night but sigh and lament, saying, 
“ How can I find a ring that fell into a great river 
a month ago ? It would be folly to attempt it. The 
princess enjoined me this task, merely because she 
knew it was impossible,” he continued, greatly af¬ 
flicted ; which Cabriole observing, said, “ My dear 
master, pray do not despair of your good fortune; 
for you are too good to be unhappy. Therefore, 
when it is day, let us go to the river side. Avenant 
made no answer, but gave his dog two little cuffs 
with his hand, and being overwhelmed with grief, 
fell asleep. 

But when Cabriole perceived it was broad day, 
he fell a barking so loud that he waked his master. 
*' Rise, sir,” said he, “ put on your clothes, and let 
us go and try our fortune.” Avenant took his 
little dog’s advice; got up, and dressed himself, went 
down into the garden, and out of the garden he 
walked insensibly to the river side, with his hat over 
his eyes, and his arms across, thinking of nothing 
but taking his leave; when all on a sudden he heard 
a voice call, “ Avenant, Avenant! ” upon which he 
looked around him, but seeing nothing, he concluded 
it was an illusion, and was proceeding in his walk; 
but he presently heard himself called again. “ Who 
calls me ? ” said he; Cabriole, who was very little, 


The Fair One with the Golden Locks 187 

and looked closely into the water, cried out, “ Never 
believe me, if it is not a gilded carp.” Immediately 
the carp appeared, and with an audible voice said, 
“ Avenant, you saved my life in the poplar meadow, 
where I must have died without your assistance; 
and now I am come to requite your kindness. Here, 
my dear Avenant, here is the ring which the Fair 
One with Locks of Gold dropped into the river/’ 
Upon which he stooped and took it out of the carp’s 
mouth; to whom he returned a thousand thanks. 
And now, instead of returning home, he went di¬ 
rectly to the palace with little Cabriole, who skipped 
about, and wagged his tail for joy, that he had per¬ 
suaded his master to walk by the side of the river. 
The princess being told that Avenant desired an 
audience: “ Alas,” said she, “ the poor youth has 
come to take his leave of me! He has considered 
what I enjoined him as impossible, and is returning 
to his master.” But Avenant being admitted, pre¬ 
sented her the ring, saying, “ Madam, behold I have 
executed your command; and now, I hope, you will 
receive my master for your royal consort.” When 
she saw her ring, and that it was noways injured, 
she was so amazed that she could hardly believe her 
eyes. “ Surely, courteous Avenant,” said she, “ you 
must be favoured by some fairy; for naturally this 
is impossible.” “ Madam,” said he, “ I am ac¬ 
quainted with no fairy; but I was willing to obey 
your command.” “ Well, then, seeing you have so 
good a will,” continued she, “ you must do me an¬ 
other piece of service, without which I will never 
marry. There is a certain prince who lives not far 
from hence, whose name is Galifron, and whom 


188 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Knozv 

nothing would serve but that he must needs marry 
me. He declared his mind to me, with most terrible 
menaces, that if I denied him, he would enter my 
kingdom with fire and sword; but you shall judge 
whether I would accept his proposal: he is a giant, as 
high as a steeple; he devours men as an ape eats 
chestnuts; when he goes into the country, he carries 
cannons in his pocket, to use instead of pistols; and 
when he speaks aloud he deafens the ears of those 
that stand near him. I answered him, that I did not 
choose to marry, and desired him to excuse me. 
Nevertheless, he has not ceased to persecute me, and 
has put an infinite number of my subjects to the 
sword: therefore, before all other things you must 
fight him, and bring me his head.” 

Avenant was somewhat startled by this proposal; 
but, having considered it awhile, “ Well, madam,” 
said he, “ I will fight this Galifron; I believe I shall 
be vanquished; but I will die like a man of cour¬ 
age.” The princess was astonished at his intrepid¬ 
ity, and said a thousand things to dissuade him from 
it, but all in vain. At length he arrived at Gali- 
fron’s castle, the roads all the way being strewed 
with the bones and carcasses of men which the giant 
had devoured, or cut in pieces. It was not long be¬ 
fore Avenant saw the monster approach, and he im¬ 
mediately challenged him; but there was no occasion 
for this, for he lifted his iron mace, and had cer¬ 
tainly beat out the gentle Avenant’s brains at the 
first blow, had not a crow at that instant perched 
upon the giant’s head, and with his bill pecked out 
both his eyes. The blood trickled down his face, 
whereat he grew desperate, and laid about him on 


The Fair One with the Golden Locks 189 

every side; but Avenant took care to avoid his blows, 
and gave him many great wounds with his sword, 
which he pushed up to the very hilt; so that the giant 
fainted, and fell down with loss of blood. Avenant 
immediately cut off his head; and while he was in an 
ecstasy of joy, for his good success, the crow perched 
upon a tree, and said, “ Avenant, I did not forget the 
kindnesses I received at your hands, when you killed 
the eagle that pursued me; I promised to make you 
amends, and now I have been as good as my word.” 
“ I acknowledge your kindness, Mr. Crow,” replied 
Avenant; “ I am still your debtor, and your servant.” 
So saying, he mounted his courser, and rode away 
with the giant’s horrid head. When he arrived at 
the city, every body crowded after him, crying out, 
“ Long live the valiant Avenant, who has slain the 
cruel monster! ” so that the princess, who heard the 
noise, and trembling for fear she should have heard 
of Avenant’s death, durst not inquire what was the 
matter. But presently after, she saw Avenant enter 
with the giant’s head; at the sight of which she 
trembled, though there was nothing to fear. 
“ Madam,” said he, “ behold your enemy is dead; 
and now, I hope, you will no longer refuse the king 
my master.” “ Alas! ” replied the Fair One with 
Locks of Gold, “ I must still refuse him, unless you 
can find means to bring me some of the water of the 
gloomy cave. Not far from hence,” continued she, 
“ there is a very deep cave, about six leagues in com¬ 
pass; the entrance into which is guarded by two 
dragons. The dragons dart fire from their mouths 
and eyes; and when you have got into this cave, 
you will meet with a very deep hole, into which you 


190 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

must go down, and you will find it full of toads, 
adders and serpents. At the bottom of this hole 
there is a kind of cellar, through which runs the 
fountain of beauty and health. This is the water 
I must have; its virtues are wonderful; for the 
fair, by washing in it, preserve their beauty; and 
the deformed it renders beautiful; if they are young, 
it preserves them always youthful; and if old it 
makes them young again. Now judge you, Avenant, 
whether I will ever leave my kingdom without carry¬ 
ing some of this water along with me.” “ Madam,” 
said he, “ you are so beautiful, that this water will 
be of no use to you; but I am an unfortunate am¬ 
bassador, whose death you seek. However, I will 
go in search of what you desire, though I am certain 
never to return.” 

At length he arrived at the top of a mountain, 
where he sat down to rest himself; giving his horse 
liberty to feed, and Cabriole to run after the flies. 
He knew that the gloomy cave was not far off, and 
looked about to see whether he could discover it; 
and at length he perceived a horrid rock as black 
as ink, whence issued a thick smoke; and immedi¬ 
ately after he spied one of the dragons casting forth 
fire from his jaws and eyes; his skin all over yellow 
and green, with prodigious claws and a long tail 
rolled up in an hundred folds. Avenant, with a 
resolution to die in the attempt, drew his sword, and 
with the phial which the Fair One with Locks of 
Gold had given him to fill with the water of beauty, 
went towards the cave, saying to his little dog, “ Ca¬ 
briole, here is an end of me; I never shall be able to 
get this water, it is so well guarded by the dragons; 


The Fair One with the Golden Locks 191 

therefore when I am dead, fill this phial with my 
blood, and carry it to my princess, that she may 
see what her severity has cost me: then go to the 
king my master and give him an account of my mis- 
fortunes. ,, While he was saying this, he heard a 
voice call “ Avenant, Avenant! ” “ Who calls me ? ” 
said he; and presently he espied an owl in the hole 
of an old hollow tree, who, calling him again, said, 
“ You rescued me from the fowler’s net, where I 
had been assuredly taken, had you not delivered me. 
I promised to make you amends, and now the time 
is come; give me your phial; I am acquainted with 
all the secret inlets into the gloomy cave, and will 
go and fetch you the water of beauty.” Avenant 
most gladly gave the phial, and the owl, entering 
without any impediment into the cave, filled it, and 
in less than a quarter of an hour returned with it 
well stopped. Avenant was overjoyed at his good 
fortune, gave the owl a thousand thanks, and re¬ 
turned with a merry heart to the city. Being ar¬ 
rived at the palace, he presented the phial to the 
Fair One with Locks of Gold, who had then noth¬ 
ing further to say. She returned Avenant thanks, 
and gave orders for every thing that was requisite 
for her departure: after which she set forward with 
him. The Fair One with Locks of Gold thought 
Avenant very amiable, and said to him sometimes 
upon the road, “ If you had been willing, I could 
have made you a king; and then we need not have 
left my kingdom.” But Avenant replied, “ I would 
not have been guilty of such a piece of treachery to 
my master for all the kingdoms of the earth ; though 


192 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

I must acknowledge your beauties are more re¬ 
splendent than the sun.” 

At length they arrived at the king’s chief city, 
who understanding that the Fair One with Locks 
of Gold was arrived, he went forth to meet her, and 
made her the richest presents in the world. The 
nuptials were solemnized with such demonstrations 
of joy, that nothing else was discoursed of. But 
the Fair One with Locks of Gold, who loved Ave- 
nant in her heart, was never pleased but when she 
was in his company, and would be always speaking 
in his praise: “ I had never come hither,” said she to 
the king, “ had it not been for Avenant, who, to 
serve me, has conquered impossibilities; you are 
infinitely obliged to him; he procured me the water 
of beauty and health; by which I shall never grow 
old, and shall always preserve my health and 
beauty.” The enviers of Avenant’s happiness, who 
heard the queen’s words, said to the king, “ Were 
your majesty inclined to be jealous, you have reason 
enough to be so, for the queen is desperately in love 
with Avenant.” “ Indeed,” said the king, “ I am 
sensible of the truth of what you tell me; let him be 
put in the great tower, with fetters upon his feet 
and hands.” Avenant was immediately seized. 
However, his little dog Cabriole never forsook him, 
but cheered him the best he could, and brought him 
all the news of the court. When the Fair One with 
Locks of Gold was informed of his misfortunes, 
she threw herself at the king’s feet, and all in tears 
besought him to release Avenant out of prison. But 
the more she besought him the more he was in¬ 
censed, believing it was her affection that made her 


The Fair One with the Golden Locks 193 

so zealous a suppliant in his behalf. Finding she 
could not prevail, she said no more to him, but 
grew very pensive and melancholy. 

The king took it into his head that she did not 
think him handsome enough; so he resolved to wash 
his face with the water of beauty, in hopes that the 
queen would then conceive a greater affection for 
him than she had. This water stood in a phial upon 
a table in the queen’s chamber, where she had put 
it, that it might not be out of her sight. But one 
of the chambermaids going to kill a spider with 
her besom, by accident threw down the phial, and 
broke it, so that the water was lost. She dried it 
up with all the speed she could, and not knowing 
what to do, she bethought herself that she had seen 
a phial of clear water in the king’s cabinet very like 
that she had broken. Without any more ado, there¬ 
fore, she went and fetched that phial, and set it 
upon the table in place of the other. This water 
which was in the king’s cabinet, was a certain water 
which he made use of to poison the great lords and 
princes of his court when they were convicted of any 
great crime; to which purpose, instead of cutting off 
their heads, or hanging them, he caused their faces 
to be rubbed with this water, which cast them into 
so profound a sleep that they never waked again. 
Now the king one evening took this phial, and 
rubbed his face well with the water, after which he 
fell asleep and died. Cabriole was one of the first 
that came to a knowledge of this accident, and im¬ 
mediately ran to inform Avenant of it who bid 
him go to the Fair One with Locks of Gold, and 
remind her of the poor prisoner. Cabriole slipped 


194 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

unperceived through the crowd, for there was a 
great noise and hurry at court upon the king’s 
death; and getting to the queen, “ Madam,” said he, 
“ remember poor Avenant.” She presently called 
to mind the afflictions he had suffered for her sake, 
and his fidelity. Without speaking a word, she went 
directly to the great tower, and took off the fetters 
from Avenant’s feet and hands herself; after which, 
putting the crown upon his head, and the royal man¬ 
tle about his shoulders, “ Amiable Avenant,” said 
she, “ I will make you a sovereign prince, and take 
you for my consort.” Avenant threw himself at her 
feet, and in terms the most passionate and respect¬ 
ful returned her thanks. Every body was overjoyed 
to have him for their king: the nuptials were the 
most splendid in the world; and the Fair One 
with Locks of Gold lived a long time with her be¬ 
loved Avenant, both happy and contented in the 
enjoyment of each other. 


CHAPTER XII 


TOM THUMB 

In the days of King Arthur, Merlin, the most 
learned enchanter of his time, was on a journey; 
and, being very weary, stopped one day at the cot¬ 
tage of an honest ploughman to ask for refresh¬ 
ment. The ploughman's wife, with great civility, 
immediately brought him some milk in a wooden 
bowl, and some brown bread on a wooden platter. 
Merlin could not help observing, that, although 
every thing within the cottage was particularly neat 
and clean, and in good order, the ploughman and 
his wife had the most sorrowful air imaginable. So 
he questioned them on the cause of their melancholy, 
and learned that they were very miserable because 
they had no children. The poor woman declared, 
with tears in her eyes, that she should be the hap¬ 
piest creature in the world if she had a son, al¬ 
though he were no bigger than his father’s thumb. 
Merlin was much amused with the thoughts of a boy 
no bigger than a man's thumb, and, as soon as he 
returned home, he sent for the queen of the fairies 
(with whom he was very intimate), and related to 
her the desire of the ploughman and his wife to 
have a son the size of his father’s thumb. The 
queen of the fairies liked the plan exceedingly, and 


196 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

declared their wish should speedily be granted. Ac¬ 
cordingly the ploughman’s wife had a son, who in 
a few minutes grew as tall as his father’s thumb. 
The queen of the fairies came in at the window as 
the mother was sitting up in bed admiring the 
child. The queen kissed the infant, and giving it 
the name of Tom Thumb, immediately summoned 
several fairies from Fairy Land to clothe her little 
new favourite: 

“ An oak leaf hat he had for his crown. 

His shirt it was by spiders spun; 

With doublet wove of thistle’s down, 

His trousers up with points were done. 

His stockings, of apple rind, they tie 
With eye-lash plucked from his mother’s eye. 

His shoes were made of a mouse’s skin, 

Nicely tanned, with the hair within.” 

Tom never was any bigger than his father’s 
thumb, which was not a large thumb either; but, as 
he grew older, he became very cunning and sly, for 
which his mother did not sufficiently correct him, 
so that when he was able to play with the boys for 
cherry stones, and had lost all his own, he used to 
creep into the boys’ bags, fill his pockets, and come 
out again to play. But one day as he was getting out 
of a bag of cherry stones, the boy to whom it be¬ 
longed chanced to see him. “ Ah ha, my little Tom 
Thumb! ” said the boy, “ have I caught you at your 
bad tricks at last? Now I will reward you for 
thieving.” Then drawing the string tight round 
his neck, and shaking the bag heartily, the 


Tom Thumb 


197 


cherry stones bruised Tom’s legs, thighs, and 
body sadly; which made him beg to be let out, and 
promise never to be guilty of such things any more. 
Shortly afterwards, Tom’s mother was making a 
batter pudding, and, that he might see how she 
mixed it, he climbed on the edge of the bowl; but his 
foot happening to slip, he fell over head and ears 
into the batter, and his mother not observing him, 
stirred him into the pudding, and popped him into 
the pot to boil. The hot water made Tom kick and 
struggle; and his mother, seeing the pudding jump 
up and down in such a furious manner, thought it 
was bewitched; and a tinker coming by just at the 
time, she quickly gave him the pudding, who put 
it into his budget and walked on. 

As soon as Tom could get the batter out of his 
mouth, he began to cry aloud; which so frightened 
the poor tinker, that he flung the pudding over the 
hedge, and ran away from it as fast as he could run. 
The pudding being broken to pieces by the fall, Tom 
was released, and walked home to his mother, who 
gave him a kiss and put him to bed. Tom Thumb’s 
mother once took him with her when she went to 
milk the cow; and it being a very windy day, she 
tied him with a needleful of thread to a thistle, that 
he might not be blown away. The cow liking his 
oak leaf hat took him and the thistle up at one 
mouthful. While the cow chewed the thistle, Tom, 
terrified at her great teeth, which seemed ready to 
crush him to pieces, roared, “Mother, Mother! ” as 
loud as he could bawl. “ Where are you, Tommy, 
my dear Tommy ? ” said the mother. “ Here, 
mother, here in the red cow’s mouth.” The mother 


198 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

began to cry and wring her hands; but the cow sur¬ 
prised at such odd noises in her throat, opened her 
mouth and let him drop out. His mother clapped 
him into her apron, and ran home with him. Tom’s 
father made him a whip of a barley straw to drive 
the cattle with, and being one day in the field, he 
slipped into a deep furrow. A raven flying over, 
picked him up with a grain of corn, and flew with 
him to the top of a giant’s castle, by the seaside, 
where he left him; and old Grumbo the giant, com¬ 
ing soon after to walk upon his terrace, swallowed 
Tom like a pill, clothes and all. Tom presently made 
the giant very uncomfortable, and he threw him up 
into the sea. A great fish then swallowed him. The 
fish was soon after caught, and sent as a present to 
King Arthur. When it was cut open, every body 
was delighted with little Tom Thumb. The king 
made him his dwarf; he was the favourite of the 
whole court; and, by his merry pranks, often 
amused the queen and the knights of the Round Ta¬ 
ble. The king, when he rode on horseback, fre¬ 
quently took Tom in his hand; and, if a shower of 
rain came on, he used to creep into the king’s waist¬ 
coat pocket, and sleep till the rain was over. The 
king also, sometimes questioned Tom concerning his 
parents; and when Tom informed his majesty they 
were very poor people, the king led him into his 
treasury, and told him he should pay his friends a 
visit, and take with him as much money as he could 
carry. Tom procured a little purse, and putting a 
threepenny piece into it, with much labour and diffi¬ 
culty got it upon his back; and, after travelling two 
days and nights, arrived at his father’s house. 


Tom Thumb 


199 


His mother met him at the door, almost tired to 
death, having in forty-eight hours travelled almost 
half a mile with a huge silver threepence upon his 
back. His parents were glad to see him, especially 
when he had brought such an amazing sum of money 
with him. They placed him in a walnut shell by the 
fire side, and feasted him for three days upon a 
hazel nut, which made him sick, for a whole nut 
usually served him a month. Tom got well, but 
could not travel because it had rained; therefore 
his mother took him in her hand, and with one puff 
blew him into King Arthur’s court; where Tom en¬ 
tertained the king, queen, and nobility at tilts and 
tournaments, at which he exerted himself so much 
that he brought on a fit of sickness, and his life was 
despaired of. At this juncture the queen of the 
fairies came in a chariot drawn by flying mice, 
placed Tom by her side, and drove through the air, 
without stopping till they arrived at her palace; 
when, after restoring him to health, and permitting 
him to enjoy all the gay diversions of Fairy Land, 
the queen commanded a fair wind, and, placing Tom 
before it, blew him straight to the court of King 
Arthur. But just as Tom should have alighted in 
the courtyard of the palace, the cook happened to 
pass along with the king’s great bowl of firmity 
(King Arthur loved firmity), and poor Tom Thumb 
fell plump into the middle of it and splashed the hot 
firmity into the cook’s eyes. Down went the bowl. 
“ Oh dear; oh dear! ” cried Tom; “ Murder! mur¬ 
der ! ” bellowed the cook! and away ran the king’s 
nice firmity into the kennel. The cook was a red¬ 
faced, cross fellow, and swore to the king, that Tom 


200 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

had done it out of mere mischief; so he was taken 
up, tried, and sentenced to be beheaded. Tom hear¬ 
ing this dreadful sentence, and seeing a miller 
stand by with his mouth wide open, he took a good 
spring, and jumped down the miller’s throat, unper¬ 
ceived by all, even by the miller himself. 

Tom being lost, the court broke up, and away went 
the miller to his mill. But Tom did not leave him 
long at rest, he began to roll and tumble about, 
so that the miller thought himself bewitched, and 
sent for a doctor. When the doctor came, Tom be¬ 
gan to dance and sing; the doctor was as much 
frightened as the miller, and sent in great haste for 
five more doctors, and twenty learned men. While 
all these were debating upon the affair, the miller 
(for they were very tedious) happened to yawn, 
and Tom, taking the opportunity, made another 
jump, and alighted on his feet in the middle of the 
table. The miller, provoked to be thus tormented 
by such a little creature, fell into a great passion, 
caught hold of Tom, and threw him out of the win¬ 
dow, into the river. A large salmon swimming by, 
snapped him up in a minute. The salmon was soon 
caught and sold in the market to the steward of a 
lord. The lord, thinking it an uncommon fine fish, 
made a present of it to the king, who ordered it to 
be dressed immediately. When the cook cut open 
the salmon, he found poor Tom, and ran with him 
directly to the king; but the king being busy with 
state affairs, desired that he might be brought an¬ 
other day. The cook resolving to keep him safely 
this time, as he had so lately given him the slip, 
clapped him into a mouse-trap, and left him to amuse 


Tom Thumb 


201 


himself by peeping through the wires for a whole 
week; when the king sent for him, he forgave him 
for throwing down the firmity, ordered him new 
clothes and knighted him. 

“ His shirt was made of butterflies’ wings; 

His boots were made of chicken skins; 

His coat and breeches were made with pride; 

A tailor’s needle hung by his side; 

A mouse for a horse he used to ride.” 

Thus dressed and mounted, he rode a hunting 
with the king and nobility, who all laughed heartily 
at Tom and his fine prancing steed. As they rode 
by a farm house one day, a cat jumped from be¬ 
hind the door, seized the mouse and little Tom, and 
began to devour the mouse. However, Tom boldly 
drew his sword and attacked the cat, who then let 
him fall. The king and his nobles seeing Tom fall¬ 
ing, went to his assistance, and one of the lords 
caught him in his hat; but poor Tom was sadly 
scratched, and his clothes were torn by the claws 
of the cat. In this condition he was carried home, 
when a bed of down was made for him in a little 
ivory cabinet. The queen of the fairies came, and 
took him again to Fairy Land, where she kept him 
for some years; and then, dressing him in bright 
green, sent him flying once more through the air 
to the earth, in the days of King Thunstone. The 
people flocked far and near to look at him; and the 
king, before whom he was carried, asked him who 
he was, whence he came, and where he lived? Tom 
answered: 


202 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

“ My name is Tom Thumb, 

From the Fairies I come; 

When King Arthur shone, 

This court was my home. 

In me he delighted, 

By him I was knighted, 

Did you never hear of 
Sir Thomas Thumb ?” 

The king was so charmed with this address, that 
he ordered a little chair to be made, in order that 
Tom might sit on his table, and also a palace of gold 
a span high, with a door an inch wide, for little Tom 
to live in. He also gave him a coach drawn by six 
small mice. This made the queen angry, because she 
had not a new coach too. Therefore, resolving to 
ruin Tom, she complained to the king that he had 
behaved very insolently to her. The king sent for 
him in a rage. Tom, to escape his fury, crept into 
an empty snail-shell, and there lay till he was al¬ 
most starved; when peeping out of the shell, he saw 
a fine butterfly settled on the ground. He now ven¬ 
tured out, and getting astride, the butterfly took 
wing, and mounted into the air with little Tom on 
his back. Away he flew from field to field, from 
tree to tree, till at last he flew to the king’s court. 
The king, queen, and nobles, all strove to catch the 
butterfly, but could not. At length poor Tom, hav¬ 
ing neither bridle nor saddle, slipped from his seat, 
and fell into a white pot, where he was found almost 
drowned. The queen vowed he should be guillo¬ 
tined: but while the guillotine was getting ready, 
he was secured once more in a mouse-trap; when 


Tom Thumb 


203 


the cat seeing something stir, and supposing it to be 
a mouse, patted the trap about till she broke it, and 
set Tom at liberty. Soon afterwards a spider, tak¬ 
ing him for a fly, made at him. Tom drew his 
sword and fought valiantly, but the spider’s poison¬ 
ous breath overcame him: 

“ He fell dead on the ground where late he had 
stood, 

And the spider sucked up the last drop of his blood.” 

King Thunstone and his whole court went into 
mourning for little Tom Thumb. They buried him 
under a rosebush, and raised a nice white marble 
monument over his grave, with the following epi¬ 
taph : 

“ Here lies Tom Thumb, King Arthur’s knight, 
Who died by spider’s cruel bite. 

He was well known in Arthur’s court, 

Where he afforded gallant sport; 

He rode at tilt and tournament, 

And on a mouse a hunting went; 

Alive he filled the court with mirth, 

His death to sorrow soon gave birth. 

Wipe, wipe your eyes, and shake your head 
And cry, ‘ Alas! Tom Thumb is dead.’ ” 


CHAPTER XIII 


BLUE BEARD 

There was, some time ago, a gentleman who was 
very rich. He had fine town and country houses, his 
dishes and plates were all of gold or silver, his 
rooms were hung with damask, his chairs and sofas 
were covered with the richest silks, and his carriages 
were all gilt with gold in a grand style. But it 
happened that this gentleman had a blue beard, 
which made him so very frightful and ugly, that 
none of the ladies, in the parts where he lived, would 
venture to go into his company. Now there was a 
certain lady of rank, who lived very near him, and 
had two daughters, both of them of very great 
beauty. Blue Beard asked her to bestow one of 
them upon him for a wife, and left it to herself to 
choose which of the two it should be. But both 
the young ladies again and again said they would 
never marry Blue Beard; yet, to be as civil as they 
could, each of them said, the only reason why she 
would not have him was, because she was loath to 
hinder her sister from the match, which would be 
such a good one for her. Still the truth of the 
matter was, they could neither of them bear the 
thoughts of having a husband with a blue beard; 
and besides, they had heard of his having been mar- 


Blue Beard 


205 


ried to several wives before, and nobody could tell 
what had ever become of any of them. As Blue 
Beard wished very much to gain their favour, he 
asked the lady and her daughters, and some ladies 
who were on a visit at their house, to go with him 
to one of his country seats, where they spent a whole 
week, during which they passed all their time in 
nothing but parties for hunting and fishing, music, 
dancing, and feasts. No one even thought of going 
to bed, and the nights were passed in merry-makings 
of all kinds. In short, the time rolled on in so much 
pleasure, that the youngest of the two sisters began 
to think that the beard which she had been so much 
afraid of, was not so very blue, and that the gentle¬ 
man who owned it was vastly civil and pleasing. 
Soon after their return home, she told her mother 
that she had no longer any dislike to accept of Blue 
Beard for her husband; and in a very short time 
they were married. 

About a month after the marriage had taken 
place, Blue Beard told his wife that he should be 
forced to leave her for a few weeks, as he had 
some affairs to attend to in the country. He 
desired her to be sure to indulge herself in every 
kind of pleasure, to invite as many of her friends 
as she liked, and to treat them with all sorts of 
dainties, that her time might pass pleasantly till he 
came back again. “ Here/’ said he, “ are the keys 
of the two large wardrobes. This is the key of the 
great box that contains the best plate, which we use 
for company, this belongs to my strong box, where 
I keep my money, and this belongs to the casket, 
in which are all my jewels. Here also is a master- 


206 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

key to all the rooms in the house; but this small key 
belongs to the closet at the end of the long gallery 
on the ground floor. I give you leave,” said he, 
“ to open, or to do what you like with all the rest 
except this closet. This, my dear, you must not 
enter, nor even put the key into the lock, for all the 
world. If you do not obey me in this one thing, 
you must expect the most dreadful punishments.” 
She promised to obey his orders in the most faith¬ 
ful manner; and Blue Beard, after kissing her ten¬ 
derly, stepped into his coach, and drove away. 

When Blue Beard was gone, the friends of his 
wife did not wait to be asked, so eager were they 
to see all the riches and fine things she had gained 
by marriage; for they had none of them gone to 
the wedding, on account of their dislike to the 
blue beard of the bridegroom. As soon as ever 
they came to the house, they ran about from room 
to room, from closet to closet, and then from ward¬ 
robe to wardrobe, looking into each with wonder 
and delight, and said, that every fresh one they 
came to, was richer and finer than what they had 
seen the moment before. At last they came to the 
drawing-rooms, where their surprise was made still 
greater by the costly grandeur of the hangings, the 
sofas, the chairs, carpets, tables, sideboards, and 
looking-glasses; the frames of these last were silver- 
gilt, most richly adorned, and in the glasses they 
saw themselves from head to foot. In short, noth¬ 
ing could exceed the richness of what they saw; and 
they all did not fail to admire and envy the good 
fortune of their friend. But all this time the bride 
herself was far from thinking about the fine 


Blue Beard 


207 


speeches they made to her, for she was eager to see 
what was in the closet her husband had told her not 
to open. So great, indeed, was her desire to do this, 
that, without once thinking how rude it would be to 
leave her guests, she slipped away down a private 
staircase that led to this forbidden closet, and in 
such a hurry, that she was two or three times in 
danger of falling down stairs and breaking her 
neck. 

When she reached the door of the closet, she 
stopped for a few moments to think of the order 
her husband had given her, and how he had told 
her that he would not fail to keep his word and 
punish her very severely, if she did not obey him. 
But she was so very curious to know what was in¬ 
side, that she made up her mind to venture in spite 
of every thing. She then, with a trembling hand, 
put the key into the lock, and the door straight flew 
open. As the window shutters were closed, she at 
first could see nothing; but in a short time she saw 
that the floor was covered with clotted blood, on 
which the bodies of several dead women were lying. 

These were all the wives whom Blue Beard had 
married, and killed one after another. At this sight 
she was ready to sink with fear, and the key of the 
closet door, which she held in her hand, fell on the 
floor. When she had a little got the better of her 
fright, she took it up, locked the door, and made 
haste back to her own room, that she might have a 
little time to get into a humour to amuse her com¬ 
pany; but this she could not do, so great was her 
fright at what she had seen. As she found that the 
key of the closet had got stained with blood in fall- 


208 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

ing on the floor, she wiped it two or three times over 
to clean it; yet still the blood kept on it the same as 
before. She next washed it, but the blood did not 
move at all. She then scoured it with brickdust, 
and after with sand, but in spite of all she could do, 
the blood was still there; for the key was a fairy 
who was Blue Beard’s friend; so that as fast as she 
got off the blood on one side, it came again on the 
other. Early in the same evening Blue Beard came 
home, saying, that before he had gone far on his 
journey he was met by a horseman, who was com¬ 
ing to tell him that his affair in the country was 
settled without his being present; upon which his 
wife said every thing she could think of, to make 
him believe she was in a transport of joy at his 
sudden return. 

The next morning he asked her for the keys: 
she gave them to him; but as she could not help 
showing her fright, Blue Beard easily guessed what 
had been the matter. “ How is it,” said he, “ that 
the key of the closet upon the ground floor is not 
here?” “ Is it not?” said the wife, “then I must 
have left it on my dressing-table. “ Be sure you 
give it me by and by,” replied Blue Beard. After 
going a good many times backwards and forwards, 
as if she was looking for the key, she was at last 
forced to give it to Blue Beard. He looked hard 
at it, and then said: “ How came this blood upon 
the key? ” “ I am sure I do not know,” replied the 
poor lady, at the same time turning as white as a 
sheet. “You do not know?” said Blue Beard 
sternly, “ but I know well enough. You have been 
in the closet on the ground floor! Very well, 


Blue Beard 


209 


madam: since you are so mighty fond of this closet, 
you shall be sure to take your place among the ladies 
you saw there.” His wife, who was almost dead 
with fear, now fell upon her knees, asked his pardon 
a thousand times for her fault, and begged him to 
forgive her, looking all the time so very mournful 
and lovely, that she would have melted any heart 
that was not harder than a rock. But Blue Beard 
only said, “ No, no, madam; you shall die this very 
minute ! ” “ Alas! ” said the poor trembling creat¬ 
ure, “ if I must die, give me, as least, a little time 
to say my prayers.” “ I give you,” replied the cruel 
Blue Beard, “ half a quarter of an hour: not a 
moment longer.” When Blue Beard had left her to 
herself, she called her sister; and after telling her, 
as well as she could for sobbing, that she had but 
half a quarter of an hour to live; “ Prithee,” said 
she, “ sister Anne,” (this was her sister’s name), 
run up to the top of the tower, and see if my 
brothers are not in sight, for they said they would 
visit me to-day, and if you see them, make a sign 
for them to gallop on as fast as ever they can.” Her 
sister straight did as she was desired; and the poor 
trembling lady every minute cried out to her: 
“ Anne ! sister Anne! do you see any one coming? ” 
Her sister said, “ I see nothing but the sun, which 
makes a dust, and the grass, which looks green.” 

In the meanwhile, Blue Beard, with a great cim- 
eter in his hand, bawled as loud as he could to his 
wife, “ Come down at once, or I will fetch you.” 
“ One moment longer, I beseech you,” replied she, 
and again called softly to her sister, “ Sister Anne, 
do you see any one coming?” To which she 


210 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

answered, “ I see nothing but the sun, which makes 
a dust, and the grass, which looks green.” Blue 
Beard now again bawled out, “ Come down, I say, 
this very moment, or I shall come to fetch you.” 
“ I am coming; indeed I will come in one minute,” 
sobbed his wretched wife. Then she once more 
cried out, “ Anne! sister Anne! do you see any one 
coming?” “I see,” said her sister, “a cloud of 
dust a little to the left.” “ Do you think it is my 
brothers?” said the wife. “Alas! no, dear sister,” 
replied she, “ it is only a flock of sheep.” “ Will 
you come down, madam?” said Blue Beard, in the 
greatest rage. “ Only one single moment more,” 
said she. And then she called out for the last time, 
“ Sister Anne! sister Anne! do you see no one com¬ 
ing ? “I see,” replied her sister, “ two men on 
horseback coming; but they are still a great way 
off.” “ Thank God,” cried she, “ they are my 
brothers; beckon them to make haste.” Blue Beard 
now cried out so loud for her to come down, that 
his voice shook the whole house. The poor lady, 
with her hair loose, and all in tears, now came down, 
and fell on her kness, begging him to spare her 
life; but he stopped her, saying, “ All this is of no 
use, for you shall die: ” and then, seizing her by 
the hair, raised his cimeter to strike off her head. 
The poor woman now begged a single moment to 
say one prayer. “ No, no,” said Blue Beard, “ I 
will give you no more time. You have had too 
much already.” And again he raised his arm. Just 
at this instant a loud knocking was heard at the 
gates, which made Blue Beard wait for a moment to 
see who it was. The gates now flew open, and two 


Blue Beard 


211 


officers, dressed in their uniform, came in, and, with 
their swords in their hands, ran straight to Blue 
Beard, who, seeing they were his wife’s brothers, 
tried to escape from their presence; but they pur¬ 
sued and seized him before he had gone twenty 
steps, and plunging their swords into his body he 
fell down dead at their feet. 

The poor wife, who was almost as dead as her 
husband, was not able at first to rise and embrace 
her brothers; but she soon came to herself; and, as 
Blue Beard had no heirs, she found herself the 
owner of his great riches. She gave a part of his 
vast fortune as a marriage dowry to her sister Anne, 
who soon after became the wife of a young gentle¬ 
man who had long loved her. Some of the money 
she laid out in buying captains’ commissions for her 
two brothers, and the rest she gave to a worthy 
gentleman whom she married shortly after, and 
whose kind treatment soon made her forget Blue 
Beard’s cruelty. 


CHAPTER XIV 


CINDERELLA; OR, THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER 

There was once a very rich gentleman who lost 
his wife, and having loved her exceedingly, he was 
very sorry when she died. Finding himself quite 
unhappy for her loss, he resolved to njarry a second 
time, thinking by this means he should be as happy 
as before. Unfortunately, however, the lady he 
chanced to fix upon was the proudest and most 
haughty woman ever known; she was always out 
of humour with every one; nobody could please her, 
and she returned the civilities of those about her with 
the most affronting disdain. She had two daugh¬ 
ters by a former husband. These she brought up to 
be proud and idle. Indeed, in temper and behaviour 
they perfectly resembled their mother; they did not 
love their books, and would not learn to work; in 
short they were disliked by every body. The gentle¬ 
man on his side too had a daughter, who in sweet¬ 
ness of temper and carriage was the exact likeness 
of her own mother, whose death he had so much 
lamented, and whose tender care of the little girl he 
was in hopes to see replaced by that of his new bride. 
But scarcely was the marriage ceremony over, before 
his wife began to show her real temper. She could 
not bear the pretty little girl, because her sweet 
obliging manners made those of her own daughters 


Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper 213 


appear a thousand times the more odious and dis¬ 
agreeable. She therefore ordered her to live in the 
kitchen; and, if ever she brought any thing into the 
parlour, always scolded her till she was out of sight. 
She made her work with the servants in washing 
the dishes, and rubbing the tables and chairs; it 
was her place to clean madam’s chamber, and that 
of the misses her daughters, which was all inlaid, 
had beds of the newest fashion, and looking-glasses 
so long and broad, that they saw themselves from 
head to foot in them; while the little creature her¬ 
self was forced to sleep up in a sorry garret, upon 
a wretched straw bed, without curtains, or any thing 
to make her comfortable. The poor child bore this 
with the greatest patience, not daring to complain 
to her father, who, she feared, would only reprove 
her, for she saw that his wife governed him entirely. 
When she had done all her work she used to sit in 
the chimney-corner among the cinders; so that in 
the house she went by the name of Cinderbreech. 
The youngest of the two sisters, however, being 
rather more civil than the eldest, called her Cinder¬ 
ella. And Cinderella, dirty and ragged as she was, 
as often happens in such cases, was a thousand times 
prettier than her sisters, drest out in all their splen¬ 
dour. It happened that the king’s son gave a ball, 
to which he invited all the persons of fashion in the 
country. Our two misses were of the number, for 
the king’s son did not know how disagreeable they 
were, but supposed, as they were so much indulged, 
that they were extremely amiable. He did not in¬ 
vite Cinderella, for he had never seen or heard of 
her. 


214 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Knoiv 

The two sisters began immediately to be very busy 
in preparing for the happy day. Nothing could ex¬ 
ceed their joy. Every moment of their time was 
spent in fancying such gowns, shoes, and head¬ 
dresses as would set them off to the greatest ad¬ 
vantage. All this was new vexation to poor Cinder¬ 
ella, for it was she who ironed and plaited her sisters’ 
linen. They talked of nothing but how they should 
be dressed: “ I,” said the eldest, “ will wear my scar¬ 
let velvet with French trimming.” “ And I,” said 
the youngest, “ shall wear the same petticoat I had 
made for the last ball. But then, to make amends 
for that, I shall put on my gold muslin train, and 
wear my diamonds in my hair; with these I must 
certainly look well.” They sent several miles for the 
best hair dresser that was to be had, and all their 
ornaments were bought at the most fashionable 
shops. On the morning of the ball, they called up 
Cinderella to consult with her about their dress, for 
they knew she had a great deal of taste. Cinderella 
gave them the best advice she could, and even 
offered to assist in adjusting their head-dresses; 
which was exactly what they wanted, and they ac¬ 
cordingly accepted her proposal. While Cinderella 
was busily engaged in dressing her sisters, they said 
to her, “ Should you not like, Cinderella, to go to 
the ball ? ” “ Ah! ” replied Cinderella, “ you are only 
laughing at me, it is not for such as I am to think of 
going to balls.” “ You are in the right,” said they," 
“ folks might laugh indeed, to see a Cinderbreech 
dancing in a ball room.” Any other than Cinderella 
would have tried to make the haughty creatures look 
as ugly as she could; but the sweet tempered girl, 


Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper 215 

on the contrary, did every thing she could think of to 
make them look well. The sisters had scarcely eaten 
any thing for two days, so great was their joy as 
the happy day drew near. More than a dozen laces 
were broken in endeavouring to give them a fine 
slender shape, and they were always before the 
looking glass. At length the much wished for mo¬ 
ment arrived; the proud misses stepped into a beauti¬ 
ful carriage, and, followed by servants in rich liv¬ 
eries, drove towards the palace. Cinderella followed 
them with her eyes as far as she could; and when 
they were out of sight, she sat down in a corner and 
began to cry. Her godmother, who saw her in tears, 

asked her what ailed her. “ I wish-1 w-i-s-h—” 

sobbed poor Cinderella, without being able to say 
another word. The godmother, who was a fairy, 
said to her, “ You wish to go to the ball, Cinderella, 
is not this the truth ? ” “ Alas! yes,” replied the 

poor child, sobbing still more than before. “ Well, 
well, be a good girl,” said the godmother, “ and you 
shall go.” She then led Cinderella to her bedcham¬ 
ber, and said to her: “Run into the garden and bring 
me a pumpkin.” Cinderella flew like lightning, and 
brought the finest she could lay hold of. Her god¬ 
mother scooped out the inside, leaving nothing but 
the rind; she then struck it with her wand, and the 
pumpkin instantly became a fine coach gilded all 
over with gold. She then looked into her mouse¬ 
trap, where she found six mice all alive and brisk. 
She told Cinderella to lift up the door of the trap 
very gently; and as the mice passed out, she touched 
them one by one with her wand, and each immedi¬ 
ately became a beautiful horse of a fine dapple gray 


216 Fairy Talcs Every Child Should Know 

mouse colour. “ Here, my child,” said the god¬ 
mother, “ is a coach and horses too, as handsome as 
your sisters’, but what shall we do for a postillion ? ” 
“ I will run,” replied Cinderella, “ and see if there 
be not a rat in the trap. If I find one, he will do very 
well for a postillion.” “ Well thought of, my child,” 
said her godmother; “ make what haste you can.” 

Cinderella brought the rat trap, which, to her 
great joy, contained three of the largest rats ever 
seen. The fairy chose the one which had the longest 
beard; and touching him with her wand, he was in¬ 
stantly turned into a handsome postillion, with the 
finest pair of whiskers imaginable. She next said 
to Cinderella: “ Go again into the garden, and you 
will find six lizards behind the watering-pot; bring 
them hither.” This was no sooner done, than with 
a stroke from the fairy’s wand they were changed 
into six footmen, who all jumped up behind the 
coach in their laced liveries, and stood side by side as 
cleverly as if they had been used to nothing else the 
whole of their lives. The fairy then said to Cin¬ 
derella: “ Well, my dear, is not this such an equip¬ 
age as you could wish for to take you to the ball? 
Are you not delighted with it?” “ Y-e-s,” replied 
Cinderella with hesitation, “ but must I go thither 
in these filthy rags ? ” Her godmother touched her 
with the wand, and her rags instantly became the 
most magnificent apparel, ornamented with the most 
costly jewels in the whole world. To these she 
added a beautiful pair of glass slippers, and bade 
her set out for the palace. The fairy, however, be¬ 
fore she took leave of Cinderella, strictly charged 
her on no account whatever to stay at the ball after 


Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper 217 

the clock had struck twelve, telling her that, should 
she stay but a single moment after that time, her 
coach would again become a pumpkin, her horses 
mice, her footmen lizards, and her fine clothes be 
changed to filthy rags. Cinderella did not fail to 
promise all her godmother desired of her; and al¬ 
most wild with joy drove away to the palace. As 
soon as she arrived, the king’s son, who had been 
informed that a great princess, whom nobody knew, 
was come to the ball, presented himself at the door 
of her carriage, helped her out, and conducted her to 
the ball room. Cinderella no sooner appeared than 
every one was silent; both the dancing and the music 
stopped, and every body was employed in gazing at 
the uncommon beauty of this unknown stranger. 
Nothing was heard but whispers of “ How handsome 
she is! ” The king himself, old as he was, could not 
keep his eyes from her, and continually repeated to 
the queen, that it was a long time since he had seen 
so lovely a creature. The ladies endeavoured to find 
out how her clothes were made, that they might get 
some of the same pattern for themselves by the next 
day, should they be lucky enough to meet with such 
handsome materials, and such good work-people to 
make them. 

The king’s son conducted her to the most honour¬ 
able seat, and soon after took her out to dance with 
him. She both moved and danced so gracefully, that 
every one admired her still more than before, and 
she was thought the most beautiful and accom¬ 
plished lady they ever beheld. After some time a 
delicious collation was served up; but the young 
prince was so busily employed in looking at her, 


218 Fairy Talcs Every Child Should Know 

that he did not eat a morsel. Cinderella seated her¬ 
self near her sisters, paid them a thousand attentions, 
and offered them a part of the oranges and sweet¬ 
meats with which the prince had presented her, while 
they on their part were quite astonished at these 
civilities from a lady whom they did not know. As 
they were conversing together, Cinderella heard the 
clock strike eleven and three quarters. She rose 
from her seat, curtesied to the company, and hast¬ 
ened away as fast as she could. As soon as she got 
home she flew to her godmother, and, after thank¬ 
ing her a thousand times, told her she would give 
the world to be able to go again to the ball the next 
day, for the king’s son had entreated her to be there. 
While she was telling her godmother every thing 
that had happened to her at the ball, the two sisters 
knocked a loud rat-tat-tat at the door; which Cinder¬ 
ella opened. “ How late you have stayed! ” said she, 
yawning, rubbing her eyes, and stretching herself, 
as if just awakened out of her sleep, though she 
had in truth felt no desire for sleep since they left 
her. “ If you had been at the ball,” said one of her 
sisters, “ let me tell you, you would not have been 
sleepy. There came thither the handsomest, yes, 
the very handsomest princess ever beheld! She paid 
us a thousand attentions, and made us take a part 
of the oranges and sweetmeats the prince had given 
her. Cinderella could scarcely contain herself for 
joy: she asked her sisters the name of this princess, 
to which they replied, that nobody had been able 
to discover who she was; that the king’s son was 
extremely grieved on that account, and had offered 
a large reward to any person who could find out 


Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper 219 

where she came from. Cinderella smiled, and said: 
“ How very beautiful she must be! How fortunate 
you are! Ah, could I but see her for a single mo¬ 
ment! Dear Miss Charlotte, lend me only the yel¬ 
low gown you wear every day, and let me go to see 
her.” “ Oh! yes, I warrant you; lend my clothes to 
a Cinderbreech! Do you really suppose me such a 
fool? No, no; pray, Miss Forward, mind your 
proper business, and leave dress and balls to your 
betters.” Cinderella expected some such answer, 
and was by no means sorry, for she would have been 
sadly at a loss what to do if her sister had lent her 
the clothes that she asked of her. 

The next day the two sisters again appeared at 
the ball, and so did Cinderella, but dressed much 
more magnificently than the night before. The 
king’s son was continually by her side, and said the 
most obliging things imaginable to her. The charm¬ 
ing young creature was far from being tired of all 
the agreeable things she met with. On the con¬ 
trary, she was so delighted with them that she en¬ 
tirely forgot the charge her godmother had given 
her. Cinderella at last heard the striking of a 
clock, and counted one, two, three, on till she came 
to twelve, though she thought that it could be but 
eleven at most. She got up and flew as nimbly as 
a deer out of the ball-room. The prince tried to 
overtake her; but poor Cinderella’s fright made her 
run the faster. However, in her great hurry, she 
dropped one of her glass slippers from her foot, 
which the prince stooped down and picked up, and 
took the greatest care of it possible. Cinderella got 
home tired and out of breath, in her old clothes, 


220 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

without either coach or footmen, and having nothing 
left of her magnificence but the fellow of the glass 
slipper which she had dropped. In the mean while, 
the prince had inquired of all his guards at the pal¬ 
ace gates, if they had not seen a magnificent princess 
pass out, and which way she went ? The guards re¬ 
plied, that no princess had passed the gates; and 
that they had not seen a creature but a little ragged 
girl, who looked more like a beggar than a princess. 
When the two sisters returned from the ball, Cin¬ 
derella asked them if they had been as much amused 
as the night before, and if the beautiful princess had 
been there? They told her that she had; but that 
as soon as the clock struck twelve, she hurried away 
from the ball room, and in the great haste she had 
made, had dropped one of her glass slippers, which 
was the prettiest shape that could be; that the king’s 
son had picked it up, and had done nothing but look 
at it all the rest of the evening; and that every body 
believed he was violently in love with the handsome 
lady to whom it belonged. 

This was very true; for a few days after, the 
prince had it proclaimed, by sound of trumpet, that 
he would marry the lady whose foot should exactly 
fit the slipper he had found. Accordingly the 
prince’s messengers took the slipper, and carried it 
first to all the princesses, then to the duchesses, in 
short, to all the ladies of the court. But without 
success. They then brought it to the two sisters, 
who each tried all she could to squeeze her foot into 
the slipper, but saw at last that this was quite im¬ 
possible. Cinderella who was looking at them all 
the while, and knew her slipper, could not help smil- 


Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper 221 

ing, and ventured to say, “ Pray, sir, let me try to 
get on the slipper.” The gentleman made her sit 
down; and putting the slipper to her foot, it instantly 
slipped in, and he saw that it fitted her like wax. 
The two sisters were amazed to see that the slipper 
fitted Cinderella; but how much greater was their 
astonishment when she drew out of her pocket the 
other slipper and put it on! Just at this moment the 
fairy entered the room, and touching Cinderella’s 
clothes with her wand, made her all at once appear 
more magnificently dressed than they had ever seen 
her before. 

The two sisters immediately perceived that she 
was the beautiful princess they had seen at the ball. 
They threw themselves at her feet, and asked her 
forgiveness for the ill treatment she had received 
from them. Cinderella helped them to rise, and, ten¬ 
derly embracing them, said that she forgave them 
with all her heart, and begged them to bestow on 
her their affection. Cinderella was then conducted, 
dressed as she was, to the young prince, who find¬ 
ing her more beautiful than ever, instantly desired 
her to accept of his hand. The marriage ceremony 
took place in a few days; and Cinderella, who was 
as amiable as she was handsome, gave her sisters 
magnificent apartments in the palace, and a short 
time after married them to two great lords of the 
court. 


CHAPTER XV 


PUSS IN BOOTS 

There was a miller who had three sons, and when 
he died he divided what he possessed among them 
in the following manner: He gave his mill to the 
eldest, his ass to the second, and his cat to the 
youngest. Each of the brothers accordingly took 
what belonged to him, without the help of an at¬ 
torney, who would soon have brought their little 
fortune to nothing, in law expenses. The poor 
young fellow who had nothing but the cat, com¬ 
plained that he was hardly used: “ My brothers,” 
said he, “ by joining their stocks together, may do 
well in the world, but for me, when I have eaten 
my cat, and made a fur cap of his skin, I may soon 
die of hunger! ” The cat, who all this time sat 
listening just inside the door of a cupboard, now 
ventured to come out and addressed him as fol¬ 
lows : “ Do not thus afflict yourself, my good mas¬ 
ter. You have only to give me a bag, and get a pair 
of boots made for me, so that I may scamper 
through the dirt and the brambles, and you shall 
see that you are not so ill provided for as you 
imagine.” Though the cat’s master did not much 
depend upon these promises, yet, as he had often 
observed the cunning tricks puss used to catch the 


Puss in Boots 


223 


rats and mice, such as hanging upon his hind legs, 
and hiding in the meal to make believe that he was 
dead, he did not entirely despair of his being of 
some use to him in his unhappy condition. 

When the cat had obtained what he asked for, he 
gayly began to equip himself: he drew on his boots; 
and putting the bag about his neck, he took hold 
of the strings with his fore paws, and bidding his 
master take courage, immediately sallied forth. The 
first attempt Puss made was to go into a warren 
in which there were a great number of rabbits. He 
put some bran and some parsley into his bag; and 
then stretching himself out at full length as if he 
was dead, he waited for some young rabbits, who 
as yet knew nothing of the cunning tricks of the 
world, to come and get into the bag, the better to 
feast upon the dainties he had put into it. Scarcely 
had he lain down before he succeeded as well as 
could be wished. A giddy young rabbit crept into 
the bag, and the cat immediately drew the strings, 
and killed him without mercy. Puss, proud of his 
prey, hastened directly to the palace, where he asked 
to speak to the king. On being shown into the 
apartment of his majesty, he made a low bow, and 
said, “ I have brought you, sire, this rabbit from 
the warren of my lord the marquis of Carabas, who 
commanded me to present it to your majesty with 
the assurance of his respect.” (This was the title 
the cat thought proper to bestow upon his mas¬ 
ter.) “Tell my lord marquis of Carabas,” replied 
the king, “ that I accept of his present with pleas¬ 
ure, and that I am greatly obliged to him.” Soon 
after, the cat laid himself down in the same manner 


224 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

in a field of corn, and had as much good fortune as 
before; for two fine partridges got into his bag, 
which he immediately killed and carried to the pal¬ 
ace : the king received them as he had done the rab¬ 
bit, and ordered his servants to give the messenger 
something to drink. In this manner he continued 
to carry presents of game to the king from my lord 
marquis of Carabas, once at least in every week. 

One day, the cat having heard that the king in¬ 
tended to take a ride that morning by the river’s side 
with his daughter, who was the most beautiful prin¬ 
cess in the world, he said to his master: “ If you 
will but follow my advice, your fortune is made. 
Take off your clothes, and bathe yourself in the 
river, just in the place I shall show you, and leave 
the rest to me.” The marquis of Carabas did ex¬ 
actly as he was desired, without being able to guess 
at what the cat intended. While he was bathing the 
king passed by, and puss directly called out as loud 
as he could bawl: “ Help! help! My lord marquis 
of Carabas is in danger of being drowned! ” The 
king hearing the cries, put his head out at the win¬ 
dow of his carriage to see what was the matter: 
when, perceiving the very cat who had brought him 
so many presents, he ordered his attendants to go 
directly to the assistance of my lord marquis of 
Carabas. While they were employed in taking the 
marquis out of the river, the cat ran to the king’s 
carriage, and told his majesty, that while his master 
was bathing, some thieves had run off with his 
clothes as they lay by the river’s side; the cunning 
cat all the time having hid them under a large 
stone. The king hearing this, commanded the offi- 


Puss in Boots 


225 


cers of his wardrobe to fetch one of the handsomest 
suits it contained, and present it to my lord marquis 
of Carabas, at the same time loading him with a 
thousand attentions. As the fine clothes they 
brought him made him look like a gentleman, and 
set off his person, which was very comely, to the 
greatest advantage, the king’s daughter was mightily 
taken with his appearance, and the marquis of 
Carabas had no sooner cast upon her two or three 
respectful glances, then she became violently in love 
with him. 

The king insisted on his getting into the carriage 
and taking a ride with them. The cat, enchanted 
to see how well his scheme was likely to succeed, 
ran before to a meadow that was reaping, and said 
to the reapers: “ Good people, if you do not tell the 
king, who will soon pass this way, that the meadow 
you are reaping belongs to my lord marquis of 
Carabas, you shall be chopped as small as mince 
meat.” The king did not fail to ask the reapers to 
whom the meadow belonged? “To my lord mar¬ 
quis of Carabas,” said they all at once; for the 
threats of the cat had terribly frighted them. “ You 
have here a very fine piece of land, my lord 
marquis,” said the king. “ Truly, sire,” replied he, 
“ it does not fail to bring me every year a plentiful 
harvest.” The cat who still went on before, now 
came to a field where some other labourers were 
making sheaves of the corn they had reaped, to 
whom he said as before: “ Good people, if you do 
not tell the king who will presently pass this way, 
that the corn you have reaped in this field belongs 
to my lord marquis of Carabas, you shall be chopped 


226 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

as small as mince meat.” The king accordingly 
passed a moment after, and inquired to whom the 
corn he saw belonged? “To my lord maquis of 
Carabas,” answered they very glibly; upon which 
the king again complimented the marquis upon his 
noble possessions. The cat still continued to go be¬ 
fore, and gave the same charge to all the people he 
met with; so that the king was greatly astonished 
at the splendid fortune of my lord marquis of Car¬ 
abas. Puss at length arrived at a stately castle, 
which belonged to an Ogre, the richest ever known; 
for all the lands the king had passed through and ad¬ 
mired were his. The cat took care to learn every 
particular about the Ogre, and what he could do, 
and then asked to speak with him, saying, as he 
entered the room in which he was, that he could not 
pass so near his castle without doing himself the 
honour to inquire after his health. The Ogre re¬ 
ceived him as civilly as an Ogre could do, and de¬ 
sired him to be seated. “ I have been informed,” 
said the cat, “ that you have the gift of changing 
yourself to all sorts of animals; into a lion or an 
elephant for example.” “ It is very true,” replied the 
Ogre somewhat sternly; “ and to convince you I 
will directly take the form of a lion.” The cat was 
so much terrified at finding himself so near to a lion, 
that he sprang from him, and climbed to the roof of 
the house; but not without much difficulty, as his 
boots were not very fit to walk upon the tiles. 

Some minutes after, the cat perceiving that the 
Ogre had quitted the form of a lion, ventured to 
come down from the tiles, and owned that he had 
been a good deal frightened. “ I have been further 


Puss in Boots 


227 


informed,”continued the cat,“but I know not how to 
believe it, that you have the power of taking the form 
of the smallest animals also; for example of chang¬ 
ing yourself to a rat or a mouse: I confess I should 
think this impossible.” “ Impossible! you shall 
see; ” and at the same instant he changed himself 
into a mouse, and began to frisk about the room. 
The cat no sooner cast his eyes upon the Ogre in 
this form, than he sprang upon him and devoured 
him in an instant. In the meantime the king, ad¬ 
miring as he came near it, the magnificent castle of 
the Ogre, ordered his attendants to drive up to the 
gates, as he wished to take a nearer view of it. The 
cat, hearing the noise of the carriage on the draw¬ 
bridge, immediately came out, saying: “Your 
majesty is welcome to the castle of my lord marquis 
of Carabas.” “ And is this splendid castle yours 
also, my lord marquis of Carabas? I never saw 
anything more stately than the building, or more 
beautiful than the park and pleasure grounds 
around it; no doubt the castle is no less magnificent 
within than without: pray, my lord marquis, indulge 
me with a sight of it.” 

The marquis gave his hand to the young princess 
as she alighted, and followed the king who went be¬ 
fore ; they entered a spacious hall, where they found 
a splendid collation which the Ogre had prepared for 
some friends he had that day expected to visit him; 
but who, hearing that the king with the princess 
and a great gentleman of the court were within, had 
not dared to enter. The king was so much charmed 
'with the amiable qualities and noble fortune of the 
marquis of Carabas, and the young princess too had 


228 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

fallen so violently in love with him, that when the 
king had partaken of the collation, and drunk a few 
glasses of wine, he said to the marquis: “ It will be 
you own fault, my lord marquis of Carabas, if you 
do not soon become my son-in-law.” The marquis 
received the intelligence with a thousand respectful 
acknowledgments, accepted the honour conferred 
upon him, and married the princess that very day. 
The cat became a great lord, and never after ran 
after rats and mice but for his amusement. 


CHAPTER XVI 


THE SLEEPING BEAUTY IN THE WOOD 

Once upon a time there was a king and a queen 
who grieved sorely that they had no children. When 
at last the queen gave birth to a daughter the king 
was so overjoyed that he gave a great christening 
feast, the like of which had never before been 
known. He asked all the fairies in the land—there 
were seven all told—to stand godmothers to the 
little princess, hoping that each might give her a gift, 
and so she should have all imaginable perfections. 

After the christening, all the company returned to 
the palace, where a great feast had been spread for 
the fairy godmothers. Before each was set a mag¬ 
nificent plate, with a gold knife and a gold fork 
studded with diamonds and rubies. Just as they 
were seating themselves, however, there entered an 
old fairy who had not been invited because more 
than fifty years ago she had shut herself up in a 
tower and it was supposed that she was either dead 
or enchanted. 

The king ordered a cover to be laid for her, but 
it could not be a massive gold one like the others, 
for only seven had been ordered made. The old 
fairy thought herself ill-used and muttered between 
her teeth. One of the young fairies, overheating 


230 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

her, and fancying she might work some mischief to 
the little baby, went and hid herself behind the hang¬ 
ings in the hall, so as to be able to have the last 
word and undo any harm the old fairy might wish to 
work. The fairies now began to endow the princess. 
The youngest, for her gift, decreed that she should 
be the most beautiful person in the world; the next 
that she should have the mind of an angel; the third 
that she should be perfectly graceful; the fourth 
that she should dance admirably well; the fifth, that 
she should sing like a nightingale; the sixth, that 
she should play charmingly upon every musical in¬ 
strument. The turn of the old fairy had now come, 
and she declared, while her head shook with malice, 
that the princess should pierce her hand with a spin¬ 
dle and die of the wound. This dreadful fate threw 
all the company into tears of dismay, when the 
young fairy who had hidden herself came forward 
and said: 

“ Be of good cheer, king and queen; your daugh¬ 
ter shall not so die. It is true I cannot entirely undo 
what my elder has done. The princess will pierce 
her hand with a spindle, but, instead of dying, she 
will only fall into a deep sleep. The sleep will last 
a hundred years, and at the end of that time a king’s 
son will come to wake her.” 

The king, in hopes of preventing what the old 
fairy had foretold, immediately issued an edict by 
which he forbade all persons in his dominion from 
spinning or even having spindles in their houses 
under pain of instant death. 

Now fifteen years after the princess was born she 
was with the king and queen at one of their castles, 


The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood 231 

and as she was running about by herself she came 
to a little chamber at the top of a tower, and there 
sat an honest old woman spinning, for she had never 
heard of the king's edict. 

“ What are you doing? ” asked the princess. 

“ I am spinning, my fair child," said the old 
woman, who did not know her. 

“ How pretty it is! ” exclaimed the princess. 
“ How do you do it ? Give it to me that I may see 
if I can do it." She had no sooner taken up the 
spindle, than, being hasty and careless, she pierced 
her hand with the point of it, and fainted away. The 
old woman, in great alarm, called for help. People 
came running in from all sides; they threw water 
in the princess's face and did all they could to re¬ 
store her, but nothing would bring her to. The 
king, who had heard the noise and confusion, came 
up also, and remembering what the fairy had said, 
he had the princess carried to the finest apartment 
and laid upon a richly embroidered bed. She lay 
there in all her loveliness, for the swoon had not 
made her pale; her lips were cherry-ripe and her 
cheeks ruddy and fair; her eyes were closed, but 
they could hear her breathing quietly; she could not 
be dead. The king looked sorrowfully upon her. 
He knew that she would not awake for a hundred 
years. 

The good fairy who had saved her life and turned 
her death into sleep was in the kingdom of Mata- 
quin, twelve thousand leagues away, when this hap¬ 
pened, but she learned of it from a dwarf who had 
a pair of seven-league boots, and instantly set out 
for the castle, where she arrived in an hour, drawn 


232 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

by dragons in a fiery chariot. The king came for¬ 
ward to receive her and showed his grief. The good 
fairy was very wise and saw that the princess when 
she woke would find herself all alone in that great 
castle and everything about her would be strange. So 
this is what she did. She touched with her wand 
everybody that was in the castle, except the king 
and queen. She touched the governesses, maids of 
honour, women of the bed-chamber, gentlemen, offi¬ 
cers, stewards, cooks, scullions, boys, guards, por¬ 
ters, pages, footmen; she touched the horses in the 
stable with their grooms, the great mastiffs in the 
court-yard, and even little Pouste, the tiny lap-dog 
of the princess that was on the bed beside her. As 
soon as she had touched them they all fell asleep, 
not to wake again until the time arrived for their 
mistress to do so, when they would be ready to wait 
upon her. Even the spits before the fire, laden with 
partridges and pheasants, went to sleep, and the 
fire itself went to sleep also. 

It was the work of a moment. The king and 
queen kissed their daughter farewell and left the 
castle, issuing a proclamation that no person what¬ 
soever was to approach it. That was needless, for 
in a quarter of an hour there had grown up about it 
a wood so thick and filled with thorns that nothing 
could get at the castle, and the castle top itself 
could only be seen from a great distance. 

A hundred years went by, and the kingdom was 
in the hands of another royal family. The son of 
the king was hunting one day when he discovered 
the towers of the castle above the tops of the trees, 
and asked \vhat castle that was. All manner of 


The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood 233 

answers were given to him. One said it was an en¬ 
chanted castle, another that witches lived there, but 
most believed that it was occupied by a great ogre 
which carried thither all the children he could catch 
and ate them up one at a time, for nobody could get 
at him through the wood. The prince did not know 
what to believe, when finally an old peasant said: 

“ Prince, it is more than fifty years since I heard 
my father say that there was in that castle the most 
beautiful princess that ever was seen; that she was 
to sleep for a hundred years, and to be awakened at 
last by the king’s son, who was to marry her.” 

The young prince at these words felt himself on 
fire. He had not a moment’s doubt that he was des¬ 
tined to this great adventure, and full of ardour he 
determined at once to set out for the castle. Scarcely 
had he come to the wood when all the trees and 
thorns which had made such an impenetrable thicket 
opened on one side and the other to offer him a path. 
He walked toward the castle, which appeared now 
at the end of a long avenue, but when he turned to 
look for his followers not one was to be seen; the 
woods had closed instantly upon him as he had 
passed through. He was entirely alone, and utter 
silence was about him. He entered a large fore¬ 
court and stood still with amazement and awe. On 
every side were stretched the bodies of men and ani¬ 
mals apparently lifeless. But the faces of the men 
were rosy, and the goblets by them had a few drops 
of wine left. The men had plainly fallen asleep. 
His steps resounded as he passed over the marble 
pavement and up the marble staircase. He entered 
the guard-room; there the guards stood drawn up in 


234 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

line with carbines at their shoulders, but they were 
sound asleep. He passed through one apartment 
after another, where were ladies and gentlemen 
asleep in their chairs or standing. He entered a 
chamber covered with gold, and saw on a bed, the 
curtains of which were drawn, the most lovely sight 
he had ever looked upon—a princess, who appeared 
to be about fifteen or sixteen, and so fair that she 
seemed to belong to another world. He drew near, 
trembling and wondering, and knelt beside her. 
Her hand lay upon her breast, and he touched his 
lips to it. At that moment, the enchantment being 
ended, the princess awoke, and, looking drowsily 
and tenderly at the young man, said: 

“ Have you come, my prince ? I have waited long 
for you/’ The prince was overjoyed at the words, 
and at the tender voice and look, and scarcely knew 
how to speak. But he managed to assure her of his 
love, and they soon forgot all else as they talked and 
talked. They talked for four hours, and had not 
then said half that was in their heads to say. 

Meanwhile all the rest of the people in the castle 
had been wakened at the same moment as the prin¬ 
cess, and they were now extremely hungry. The 
lady-in-waiting became very impatient, and at 
length announced to the princess that they all waited 
for her. Then the prince took the princess by the 
hand; she was dressed in great splendour, but he 
did not hint that she looked as he had seen pictures 
of his great-grandmother look; he thought her all 
the more charming for that. They passed into a 
hall of mirrors, where they supped, attended by the 
officers of the princess. The violins and haut-boys 


The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood 235 

played old but excellent pieces of music, and after 
supper, to lose no time, the grand almoner married 
the royal lovers in the chapel of the castle. 

When they left the castle the next day to return to 
the prince’s home, they were followed by all the 
retinue of the princess. They marched down the 
long avenue, and the wood opened again to let them 
pass. Outside they met the prince’s followers, who 
were overjoyed to see their master. He turned to 
show them the castle, but behold! there was no cas¬ 
tle to be seen, and no wood; castle and wood had 
vanished, but the prince and princess went gayly 
away, and when the old king and queen died they 
reigned in their stead. 


CHAPTER XVII 


JACK AND THE BEAN-STALK 

In the days of King Alfred, there lived a poor 
woman whose cottage was situated in a remote 
country village, a great many miles from London. 
She had been a widow some years, and had an only 
child named Jack, whom she indulged to a fault. 
The consequence of her blind partiality was, that 
Jack did not pay the least attention to any thing she 
said, but was indolent, careless, and extravagant. 
His follies were not owing to a bad disposition, but 
that his mother had never checked him. By degrees 
she disposed of all she possessed—scarcely any 
thing remained but a cow. The poor woman one 
day met Jack with tears in her eyes; her distress 
was great, and for the first time in her life she 
could not help reproaching him, saying, “ Oh! you 
wicked child, by your ungrateful course of life you 
have at last brought me to beggary and ruin. 
Cruel, cruel boy! I have not money enough to 
purchase even a bit of bread for another day— 
nothing now remains to sell but my poor cow! I 
am sorry to part with her; it grieves me sadly, 
but we must not starve.” For a few minutes, Jack 
felt a degree of remorse, but it was soon over, and 
he began teasing his mother to let him sell the cow 
at the next village, so much, that she at last con- 


'Jack and the Bean-Stalk 


237 


sented. As he was going along, he met a butcher, 
who inquired why he was driving the cow from 
home? Jack replied, he was going to sell it. The 
butcher held some curious beans in his hat; they 
were of various colours, and attracted Jack’s atten¬ 
tion. This did not pass unnoticed by the butcher, 
who, knowing Jack’s easy temper, thought now was 
the time to take an advantage of it; and determined 
not to let slip so good an opportunity, asked what 
was the price of the cow, offering at the same time 
all the beans in his hat for her. The silly boy could 
not conceal the pleasure he felt at what he supposed 
so great an offer, the bargain was struck instantly, 
and the cow exchanged for a few paltry beans. 
Jack made the best of his way home, calling aloud 
to his mother before he reached home, thinking to 
surprise her. 

When she saw the beans, and heard Jack’s ac¬ 
count, her patience quite forsook her. She kicked 
the beans away in a passion—they flew in all direc¬ 
tions—some were scattered in the garden. Not 
having any thing to eat, they both went supper¬ 
less to bed. Jack woke early in the morning, and 
seeing something uncommon from the window of 
his bed-chamber, ran down stairs into the garden, 
where he soon discovered that some of the beans 
had taken root, and sprung up surprisingly: the 
stalks were of an immense thickness, and had so 
entwined, that they formed a ladder nearly like a 
chain in appearance. Looking upward, he could not 
discern the top, it appeared to be lost in the clouds: 
he tried it, found it firm, and not to be shaken. He 
quickly formed the resolution of endeavouring to 


238 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

climb up to the top, in order to seek his fortune, and 
ran to communicate his intention to his mother, not 
doubting but she would be equally pleased with 
himself. She declared he should not go; said it 
would break her heart if he did—entreated, and 
threatened—but all in vain. Jack set out, and after 
climbing for some hours, reached the top of the 
bean-stalk, fatigued and quite exhausted. Looking 
around, he found himself in a strange country; it 
appeared to be a desert, quite barren, not a tree, 
shrub, house, or living creature to be seen; here and 
there were scattered fragments of stone; and at 
unequal distances, small heaps of earth were loosely 
thrown together. 

Jack seated himself pensively upon a block of 
stone, and thought of his mother—he reflected with 
sorrow upon his disobedience in climbing the bean¬ 
stalk against her will; and concluded that he must 
die with hunger. However he walked on, hoping 
to see a house where he might beg something to eat 
and drink; presently a handsome young woman ap¬ 
peared at a distance: as she approached, Jack could 
not help admiring how beautiful and lively she 
looked; she was dressed in the most elegant manner, 
and had a small white wand in her hand, on the top 
of which was a peacock of pure gold. While Jack 
was looking with great surprise at this charming 
female, she came up to him, and with a smile of the 
most bewitching sweetness, inquired how he came 
there. Jack related the circumstance of the bean¬ 
stalk. She asked him if he recollected his father; he 
replied he did not; and added, there must be some 
mystery relating to him, because if he asked his 


Jack and the Bean-Stalk 


239 


mother who his father was, she always burst into 
tears, and appeared violently agitated, nor did she re¬ 
cover herself for some days after; one thing, how¬ 
ever, he could not avoid observing upon these occa¬ 
sions, which was that she always carefully avoided 
answering him, and even seemed afraid of speaking, 
as if there was some secret connected with his 
father’s history which she must not disclose. The 
young woman replied, “ I will reveal the whole 
story; your mother must not. But, before I begin, 
I require a solemn promise on your part to do what 
I command; I am a fairy, and if you do not per¬ 
form exactly what I desire, you will be destroyed.” 
Jack was frightened at her menaces, but promised 
to fulfil her injunctions exactly, and the fairy thus 
addressed him: 

“ Your father was a rich man, his disposition re¬ 
markably benevolent: he was very good to the poor, 
and constantly relieving them. He made it a rule 
never to let a day pass without doing good to some 
person. On one particular day in the week, he kept 
open house, and invited only those who were re¬ 
duced and had lived well. He always presided him¬ 
self, and did all in his power to render his guests 
comfortable; the rich and the great were not in¬ 
vited. The servants were all happy, and greatly at¬ 
tached to their master and mistress. Your father, 
though only a private gentleman, was as rich as a 
prince, and he deserved all he possessed, for he 
only lived to do good. Such a man was soon known 
and talked of. A giant lived a great many miles 
off: this man was altogether as wicked as your 
father was good; he was in his heart envious, cove- 


240 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

tous, and cruel; but he had the art of concealing 
those vices. He was poor, and wished to enrich 
himself at any rate. Hearing your father spoken of, 
he formed the design of becoming acquainted with 
him, hoping to ingratiate himself into your father’s 
favour. He removed quickly into your neighbour¬ 
hood, caused to be reported that he was a gentle¬ 
man who had just lost all he possessed by an earth¬ 
quake, and found it difficult to escape with his 
life; his wife was with him. Your father gave 
credit to his story, and pitied him, gave him hand¬ 
some apartments in his own house, and caused him 
and his wife to be treated like visitors of conse¬ 
quence, little imagining that the giant was meditat¬ 
ing a horrid return for all his favours. 

“ Things went on in this way for some time, the 
giant becoming daily more impatient to put his plan 
into execution; at last a favourable opportunity 
presented itself. Your father’s house was at some 
distance from the seashore, but with a glass the 
coast could be seen distinctly. The giant was one 
day using the telescope; the wind was very high; 
he saw a fleet of ships in distress off the rocks; he 
hastened to your father, mentioned the circum¬ 
stance, and eagerly requested he would send all the 
servants he could spare to relieve the sufferers. 
Every one was instantly despatched, except the 
porter and your nurse; the giant then joined your 
father in the study, and appeared to be delighted— 
he really was so. Your father recommended a 
favourite book, and was handing it down: the giant 
took the opportunity, and stabbed him; he instantly 
fell down dead. The giant left the body, found the 


Jack and the Bean-Stalk 


241 


porter and nurse, and presently despatched them; 
being determined to have no living witnesses of his 
crimes. You were then only three months old; 
your mother had you in her arms in a remote part of 
the house, and was ignorant of what was going on; 
she went into the study, but how was she shocked, 
on discovering your father a corpse, and weltering 
in his blood! she was stupefied with horror and 
grief, and was motionless. The giant, who was 
seeking her, found her in that state, and hastened 
to serve her and you as he had done her husband, 
but she fell at his feet, and in a pathetic manner be¬ 
sought him to spare your life and hers. 

“ Remorse, for a moment, seemed to touch the 
barbarian's heart: he granted your lives; but first 
he made her take a most solemn oath, never to in¬ 
form you who your father was, or to answer any 
questions concerning him: assuring her that if she 
did, he would certainly discover her, and put both 
of you to death in the most cruel manner. Your 
mother took you in her arms, and fled as quickly as 
possible; she was scarcely gone when the giant re¬ 
pented that he had suffered her to escape. He 
would have pursued her instantly; but he had to 
provide for his own safety; as it was necessary he 
should be gone before the servants returned. Hav- 
ing gained your father’s confidence, he knew where 
to find all his treasure: he soon loaded himself and 
his wife, set the house on fire in several places, and 
when the servants returned, the house was burned 
quite down to the ground. Your poor mother, for¬ 
lorn, abandoned, and forsaken, wandered with you 
a great many miles from this scene of desolation. 


242 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

Fear added to her haste. She settled in the cottage 
where you were brought up, and it was entirely 
owing to her fear of the giant that she never men¬ 
tioned your father to you. I became your father’s 
guardian at his birth; but fairies have laws to which 
they are subject as well as mortals. A short time 
before the giant went to your father’s, I trans¬ 
gressed ; my punishment was a suspension of power 
for a limited time—an unfortunate circumstance, as 
it totally prevented my succouring your father. 

“ The day on which you met the butcher, as you 
went to sell your mother’s cow, my power was 
restored. It was I who secretly prompted you to 
take the beans in exchange for the cow. By my 
power, the bean-stalk grew to so great a height, and 
formed a ladder. I need not add that I inspired you 
with a strong desire to ascend the ladder. The 
giant lives in this country: you are the person ap¬ 
pointed to punish him for all his wickedness. You 
will have dangers and difficulties to encounter, but 
you must persevere in avenging the death of your 
father, or you will not prosper in any of your under¬ 
takings, but will always be miserable. As to the 
giant’s possessions, you may seize on all you can; 
for every thing he has is yours, though now you 
are unjustly deprived of it. One thing I desire— 
do not let your mother know you are acquainted 
with your father’s history, till you see me again. 
Go along the direct road, you will soon see the 
house where your cruel enemy lives. While you 
do as I order you, I will protect and guard you; 
but, remember, if you dare disobey my commands, 
a most dreadful punishment awaits you.” 


Jack and the Bean-Stalk 


243 


When the fairy had concluded, she disappeared, 
leaving Jack to pursue his journey. He walked on 
till after sunset, when, to his great joy, he espied a 
large mansion. This agreeable sight revived his 
drooping spirits; he redoubled his speed, and soon 
reached it. A plain-looking woman was at the door 
—he accosted her, begging she would give him a 
morsel of bread and a night’s lodging. She ex¬ 
pressed the greatest surprise at seeing him; and 
said it was quite uncommon to see a human being 
near their house, for it was well known that her 
husband was a large and very powerful giant, and 
that he would never eat any thing but human flesh, 
if he could possibly get it; that he did not think 
any thing of walking fifty miles to procure it, 
usually being out the whole day for that purpose. 

This account greatly terrified Jack, but still he 
hoped to elude the giant, and therefore he again 
entreated the woman to take him in for one night 
only, and hide him where she thought proper. The 
good woman at last suffered herself to be per¬ 
suaded, for she was of a compassionate and gener¬ 
ous disposition, and took him into the house. First, 
they entered a fine large hall, magnificently fur¬ 
nished; they then passed through several spacious 
rooms, all in the same style of grandeur; but they 
appeared to be quite forsaken and desolate. A long 
gallery was next; it was very dark—just light 
enough to show that, instead of a wall on one side, 
there was a grating of iron, which parted off a 
dismal dungeon, from whence issued the groans of 
those poor victims whom the cruel giant reserved 
in confinement for his own voracious appetite. Poor 


244 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

Jack was half dead with fear, and would have given 
the world to have been with his mother again, for 
he now began to fear that he should never see her 
more, and gave himself up for lost; he even mis¬ 
trusted the good woman, and thought she had let 
him into the house for no other purpose than to 
lock him up among the unfortunate people in the 
dungeon. At the farther end of the gallery there 
was a spacious kitchen, and a very excellent fire 
was burning in the grate. The good woman bid 
Jack sit down, and gave him plenty to eat and 
drink. Jack, not seeing any thing here to make him 
uncomfortable, soon forgot his fear, and was just 
beginning to enjoy himself, when he was aroused by 
a loud knocking at the street-door, which made the 
whole house shake: the giant’s wife ran to secure 
him in the oven, and then went to let her husband 
in. Jack heard him accost her in a voice like 
thunder, saying: “ Wife, I smell fresh meat.” 
“ Oh! my dear,” replied she, “ it is nothing but the 
people in the dungeon.” The giant appeared to be¬ 
lieve her, and walked into the very kitchen where 
poor Jack was concealed, who shook, trembled, and 
was more terrified than he had yet been. At last, 
the monster seated himself quietly by the fireside, 
whilst his wife prepared supper. By degrees Jack 
recovered himself sufficiently to look at the giant 
through a small crevice. He was quite astonished to 
see what an amazing quantity he devoured, and 
thought he never would have done eating and drink¬ 
ing. When supper was ended, the giant desired his 
wife to bring him his hen. A very, beautiful hen 
was then brought, and placed on the table before 


Jack and the Bean-Stalk 


245 


him. Jack’s curiosity was very great to see what 
would happen: he observed that every time the 
giant said “ Lay! ” the hen laid an egg of solid gold. 
The giant amused himself a long time with his hen ; 
meanwhile his wife went to bed. At length the 
giant fell asleep by the fire-side, and snored like the 
roaring of a cannon. 

At daybreak, Jack, finding the giant still asleep, 
and not likely to awaken soon, crept softly out 
of his hiding-place, seized the hen, and ran off 
with her. He met with some difficulty in finding 
his way out of the house, but at last he reached 
the road with safety. He easily found the way 
to the bean-stalk, and descended it better and 
quicker than he expected. His mother was over¬ 
joyed to see him; he found her crying bitterly, and 
lamenting his hard fate, for she concluded he had 
come to some shocking end through his rashness. 
Jack was impatient to show his hen, and inform his 
mother how valuable it was. “ And now, mother,” 
said Jack, “ I have brought home that which will 
quickly make us rich; and I hope to make you some 
amends for the affliction I have caused you through 
my idleness, extravagance, and folly.” The hen pro¬ 
duced as many golden eggs as they desired: they 
sold them, and in a little time became possessed of 
as much riches as they wanted. For some months 
Jack and his mother lived very happily together; 
but he being very desirous of travelling, recollecting 
the fairy’s commands, and fearing that if he delayed, 
she would put her threats into execution, longed to 
climb the beanstalk, and pay the giant another visit, 
in order to carry away some more of his treasures; 


246 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

for, during the time that Jack was in the giant’s 
mansion, whilst he lay concealed in the oven, he 
learned from the conversation that took place be¬ 
tween the giant and his wife, that he possessed some 
wonderful curiosities. Jack thought of his jour¬ 
ney again and again, but still he could not summon 
resolution enough to break it to his mother, being 
well assured that she would endeavour to prevent 
his going. However, one day he told her boldly 
that he must take a journey up the bean-stalk; she 
begged and prayed him not to think of it, and tried 
all in her power to dissuade him: she told him that 
the giant’s wife would certainly know him again, 
and that the giant would desire nothing better than 
to get him into his power, that he might put him to 
a cruel death, in order to be revenged for the loss 
of his hen. Jack, finding that all his arguments 
were useless, pretended to give up the point, though 
resolved to go at all events. He had a dress pre¬ 
pared which would disguise him, and something to 
colour his skin. He thought it impossible for any 
one to recollect him in this dress. 

In a few mornings after this, he arose very early, 
changed his complexion, and, unperceived by any 
one, climbed the bean-stalk a second time. He was 
greatly fatigued when he reached the top, and very 
hungry. Having rested some time on one of the 
stones, he pursued his journey to the giant’s man¬ 
sion. He reached it late in the evening: the woman 
was at the door as before. Jack addressed her, at 
the same time telling her a pitiful tale, and request¬ 
ing that she would give him some victuals and 
drink, and also a night’s lodging. 


Jack and the Bean-Stalk 


247 


She told him (what he knew before very well) 
about her husband being a powerful and cruel giant; 
and also that she one night admitted a poor, hungry, 
friendless boy, who was half dead with travelling; 
that the little ungrateful fellow had stolen one of 
the giant’s treasures; and, ever since that, her hus¬ 
band had been worse than before, used her very 
cruelly, and continually upbraided her with being 
the cause of his misfortune. Jack was at no loss to 
discover that he was attending to the account of a 
story in which he was the principal actor. He did 
his best to persuade the good woman to admit him, 
but found it a very hard task. At last she con¬ 
sented ; and as she led the way, Jack observed that 
every thing was just as he had found it before. 
She took him into the kitchen, and after he had done 
eating and drinking, she hid him in an old lumber- 
closet. The giant returned at the usual time, and 
walked in so heavily, that the house was shaken to 
its foundation. He seated himself by the fire, and 
soon after exclaimed: “ Wife ! I smell fresh meat! ” 
The wife replied, it was the crows, who had brought 
a piece of raw meat, and left it on the top of the 
house. Whilst supper was preparing, the giant was 
very ill-tempered and impatient, frequently lifting 
up his hand to strike his wife, for not being quick 
enough; she, however, was always so fortunate as 
to elude the blow. He was also continually up¬ 
braiding her with the loss of his wonderful hen. 
The giant at last having ended his voracious supper, 
and eaten till he was quite satisfied, said to his wife: 
“ I must have something to amuse me; either my 
bags of money or my harp.” After a great deal of 


248 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

ill-humour, and having teased his wife some time, 
he commanded her to bring down his bags of gold 
and silver. Jack, as before, peeped out of his hid¬ 
ing-place, and presently his wife brought two bags 
into the room: they were of a very large size; one 
was filled with new guineas, and the other with new 
shillings. They were both placed before the giant, 
who began reprimanding his poor wife most se¬ 
verely for staying so long; she replied, trembling 
with fear, that they were so heavy, that she could 
scarcely lift them; and concluded, at last, that she 
would never again bring them down stairs; adding, 
that she had nearly fainted, owing to their weight. 
This so exasperated the giant, that he raised his 
hand to strike her; she, however, escaped, and went 
to bed, leaving him to count over his treasure, by 
way of amusement. The giant took his bags, and 
after turning them over and over, to see that they 
were in the same state as he left them, began to 
count their contents. First, the bag which con¬ 
tained the silver was emptied, and the contents 
placed upon the table. Jack viewed the glittering 
heaps with delight, and most heartily wished them 
in his own possession. The giant (little thinking 
he was so narrowly watched) reckoned the silver 
over several times; and then, having satisfied him¬ 
self that all was safe, put it into the bag again, 
which he made very secure. The other bag was 
opened next, and the guineas placed upon the table. 
If Jack was pleased at the sight of the silver, how 
much more delighted he felt when he saw such a 
heap of glittering gold! He even had the boldness 
to think of gaining both bags; but suddenly recol- 


Jack and the Bean-Stalk 


249 


lecting himself, he began to fear that the giant 
would sham sleep, the better to entrap any one who 
might be concealed. When the giant had counted 
over the gold till he was tired, he put it up, if pos¬ 
sible, more secure than he had put up the silver be¬ 
fore ; he then fell back on his chair by the fireside, 
and fell asleep. He snored so loud, that Jack com¬ 
pared his noise to the roaring of the sea in a high 
wind, when the tide is coming in. At last, Jack con¬ 
cluded him to be asleep, and therefore secure, stole 
out of his hiding-place, and approached the giant, 
in order to carry off the two bags of money; but 
just as he laid his hand upon one of the bags, a 
little dog, whom he had not perceived before, started 
from under the giant’s chair, and barked at Jack 
most furiously, who now gave himself up for lost. 
Fear riveted him to the spot. Instead of endeav¬ 
ouring to escape, he stood still, though expecting 
his enemy to awake every instant. Contrary, how¬ 
ever, to his expectation, the giant continued in a 
sound sleep, and the dog grew weary of barking. 
Jack now began to recollect himself, and on looking 
round, saw a large piece of meat; this he threw to 
the dog, who instantly seized it, and took it into the 
lumber-closet, which Jack had just left. Finding 
himself delivered from a noisy and troublesome 
enemy, and seeing the giant did not awake, Jack 
boldly seized the bags, and throwing them over his 
shoulders, ran out of the kitchen. He reached the 
street door in safety, and found it quite daylight. 
In his way to the top of the bean-stalk, he found • 
himself greatly incommoded with the weight of the 
money-bags; and really they were so heavy that he 


250 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

could scarcely carry them. Jack was overjoyed 
when he found himself near the bean-stalk; he soon 
reached the bottom, and immediately ran to seek his 
mother; to his great surprise, the cottage was de¬ 
serted; he ran from one room to another, without 
being able to find any one; he then hastened into 
the village, hoping to see some of the neighbours, 
who could inform him where he could find his 
mother. An old woman at last directed him to a 
neighbouring house, where she was ill of a fever. 
He was greatly shocked on finding her apparently 
dying, and could scarcely bear his own reflections, 
on knowing himself to be the cause. On being in¬ 
formed of our hero’s safe return, his mother, by 
degrees, revived, and gradually recovered. Jack 
presented her with his two valuable bags. They 
lived happily and comfortably; the cottage was re¬ 
built, and well furnished. 

For three years Jack heard no more of the bean¬ 
stalk, but he could not forget it; though he feared 
making his mother unhappy. She would not men¬ 
tion the hated bean-stalk, lest it should remind him 
of taking another journey. Notwithstanding the 
comforts Jack enjoyed at home, his mind dwelt con¬ 
tinually upon the bean-stalk; for the fairy’s menaces, 
in case of his disobedience, were ever present to his 
mind, and prevented him from being happy; he 
could think of nothing else. It was in vain endeav¬ 
ouring to amuse himself; he became thoughtful, and 
would arise at the first dawn of day, and view the 
bean-stalk for hours together. His mother saw 
that something preyed heavily upon his mind, and 
endeavoured to discover the cause; but Jack knew 


Jack and the Bean-Stalk 251 

too well what the consequence would be, should she 
succeed. He did his utmost, therefore, to conquer 
the great desire he had for another journey up the 
bean-stalk. Finding, however, that his inclination 
grew too powerful for him, he began to make secret 
preparations for his journey, and on the longest 
day, arose as soon as it was light, ascended the bean¬ 
stalk, and reached the top with some little trouble. 
He found the road, journey, etc., much as it was on 
the two former times; he arrived at the giant’s man¬ 
sion in the evening, and found his wife standing, as 
usual, at the door. Jack had disguised himself so 
completely, that she did not appear to have the 
least recollection of him; however, when he pleaded 
hunger and poverty, in order to gain admittance, he 
found it very difficult to persuade her. At last he 
prevailed, and was concealed in the copper. When 
the giant returned, he said, “ I smell fresh meat! ” 
But Jack felt quite composed, as he had said so 
before, and had been soon satisfied. However, the 
giant started up suddenly, and, notwithstanding all 
his wife could say, he searched all round the room. 
Whilst this was going forward, Jack was exceed¬ 
ingly terrified, and ready to die with fear, wishing 
himself at home a thousand times; but when the 
giant approached the copper, and put his hand upon 
the lid, Jack thought his death was certain. The 
giant ended his search there, without moving the 
lid, and seated himself quietly by the fireside. This 
fright nearly overcame poor Jack; he was afraid of 
moving or even breathing, lest he should be dis¬ 
covered. The giant at last ate a hearty supper. 
When he had finished, he commanded his wife to 


252 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

fetch down his harp. Jack peeped under the cop¬ 
per-lid, and soon saw the most beautiful harp that 
could be imagined: it was placed by the giant on 
the table, who said, “ Play! ” and it instantly played 
of its own accord, without being touched. The 
music was uncommonly fine. Jack was delighted, 
and felt more anxious to get the harp into his pos¬ 
session, than either of the former treasures. The 
giant’s soul was not attuned to harmony, and the 
music son lulled him into a sound sleep. Now, 
therefore, was the time to carry off the harp, as the 
giant appeared to be in a more profound sleep than 
usual. Jack soon determined, got out of the cop¬ 
per, and seized the harp. The harp was enchanted 
by a fairy: it called out loudly: “ Master! master! ” 
The giant awoke, stood up, and tried to pursue 
Jack; but he had drank so much, that he could 
hardly stand. Poor Jack ran as fast as he could. 
In a little time the giant recovered sufficiently to 
walk slowly, or rather, to reel after him. Had he 
been sober, he must have overtaken Jack instantly; 
but, as he then was, Jack contrived to be first at the 
top of the bean-stalk. The giant called after him 
in a voice like thunder, and sometimes was very 
near him. The moment Jack got down the bean¬ 
stalk he called out for a hatchet; one was brought 
him directly; just at that instant, the giant was be¬ 
ginning to descend; but Jack, with his hatchet, cut 
the bean-stalk close off at the root, which made the 
giant fall headlong into the garden: the fall killed 
him, thereby releasing the world from a barbarous 
enemy. Jack’s mother was delighted when she saw 
the bean-stalk destroyed. At this instant the fairy 


Jack and the Bean-Stalk 


253 


appeared: she first addressed Jack’s mother and ex¬ 
plained every circumstance relating to the journeys 
up the bean-stalk. The fairy charged Jack to be 
dutiful to his mother, and to follow his father’s good 
example, which was the only way to be happy. She 
then disappeared. Jack heartily begged his mother’s 
pardon for all the sorrow and affliction he had 
caused her, promising most faithfully to be very 
dutiful and obedient to her for the future. 


CHAPTER XVIII 


JACK THE GIANT KILLER 

In the reign of the famous King Arthur, there 
lived near the Land’s End of England, in the county 
of Cornwall, a worthy farmer, who had an only 
son named Jack. Jack was a boy of a bold temper; 
he took pleasure in hearing or reading stories of 
wizards, conjurers, giants, and fairies, and used to 
listen eagerly while his father talked of the great 
deeds of the brave knights of King Arthur’s Round 
Table. When Jack was sent to take care of the 
sheep and oxen in the fields, he used to amuse him¬ 
self with planning battles, sieges, and the means to 
conquer or surprise a foe. He was above the com¬ 
mon sports of children; but hardly any one could 
equal him at wrestling; or, if he met with a match 
for himself in strength, his skill and address always 
made him the victor. In those days there lived on 
St. Michael’s Mount of Cornwall, which rises out 
of the sea at some distance from the main land, a 
huge giant. He was eighteen feet high, and three 
yards round; and his fierce and savage looks were 
the terror of all his neighbours. He dwelt in a 
gloomy cavern on the very top of the mountain, and 
used to wade over to the main land in search of his 
prey. When he came near, the people left their 


Jack the Giant Killer 


255 


houses; and after he had glutted his appetite upon 
their cattle, he would throw half-a-dozen oxen upon 
his back, and tie three times as many sheep and hogs 
round his waist, and so march back to his own abode. 
The giant had done this for many years, and the 
coast of Cornwall was greatly hurt by his thefts, 
when Jack boldly resolved to destroy him. He there¬ 
fore took a horn, a shovel, pickaxe, and a dark lan¬ 
tern, and early in a long winter’s evening he swam 
to the mount. There he fell to work at once, and 
before morning he had dug a pit twenty-two feet 
deep, and almost as many broad. He covered it 
over with sticks and straw, and strewed some of the 
earth over them, to make it look just like solid 
ground. He then put his horn to his mouth, and 
blew such a loud and long tantivy, that the giant 
awoke and came towards Jack, roaring like thunder: 
“ You saucy villain, you shall pay dearly for break¬ 
ing my rest; I will broil you for my breakfast.” He 
had scarcely spoken these words, when he came ad¬ 
vancing one step farther; but then he tumbled head¬ 
long into the pit, and his fall shook the very moun¬ 
tain. “ O ho, Mr. Giant! ” said Jack, looking into 
the pit, “ have you found your way so soon to the 
bottom ? How is your appetite now ? Will nothing 
serve you for breakfast this cold morning but broil¬ 
ing poor Jack ? ” The giant now tried to rise, but 
Jack struck him a blow on the crown of the head 
with his pickaxe, which killed him at once. Jack 
then made haste back to rejoice his friends with the 
news of the giant’s death. When the justices of 
Cornwall heard of this valiant action, they sent for 
Jack, and declared that he should always be called 


256 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

Jack the Giant Killer; and they also gave him a 
sword and belt, upon which was written in letters of 
gold: 

“ This is the valiant Cornishman 
Who slew the Giant Cormoran.” 

The news of Jack’s exploits soon spread over the 
western parts of England; and another giant, called 
Old Blunderbore, vowed to have revenge on Jack, 
if it should ever be his fortune to get him into his 
power. This giant kept an enchanted castle in the 
midst of a lonely wood. About four months after 
the death of Cormoran, as Jack was taking a journey 
into Wales, he passed through this wood; and as he 
was very weary, he sat down to rest by the side of 
a pleasant fountain, and there he fell into a deep 
sleep. The giant came to the fountain for water 
just at this time, and found Jack there; and as the 
lines on Jack’s belt showed who he was, the giant 
lifted him up and laid him gently upon his shoulder 
to carry him to his castle: but as he passed through 
the thicket, the rustling of the leaves waked Jack; 
and he was sadly afraid when he found himself in 
the clutches of Blunderbore. Yet this was nothing 
to his fright soon after; for when they reached the 
castle, he beheld the floor covered all over with the 
skulls and bones of men and women. The giant 
took him into a large room where lay the hearts and 
limbs of persons who had been lately killed; and he 
told Jack, with a horrid grin, that men’s hearts, 
eaten with pepper and vinegar, were his nicest food; 
and also, that he thought he should make a dainty 
meal on his heart. When he had said this, he locked 


Jack the Giant Killer 


2 57 


Jack up in that room, while he went to fetch an¬ 
other giant who lived in the same wood, to enjoy 
a dinner off Jack’s flesh with him. While he was 
away, Jack heard dreadful shrieks, groans, and cries, 
from many parts of the castle; and soon after he 
heard a mournful voice repeat these lines: 

“ Haste, valiant stranger, haste away, 

Lest you become the giant’s prey. 

On his return he’ll bring another, 

Still more savage than his brother: 

A horrid, cruel monster, who, 

Before he kills, will torture you. 

Oh valiant stranger, haste away, 

Or you’ll become these giants’ prey.” 

This warning was so shocking to poor Jack, that 
he was ready to go mad. He ran to the window, 
and saw the two giants coming along arm in arm. 
This window was right over the gates of the castle. 
“ Now,” thought Jack, “ either my death or free¬ 
dom is at hand.” There were two strong cords in 
the room: Jack made a large noose with a slip-knot 
at the ends of both these, and as the giants were 
coming through the gates, he threw the ropes over 
their heads. He then made the other ends fast to 
a beam in the ceiling, and pulled with all his might 
till he had almost strangled them. When he saw 
that they were both quite black in the face, and had 
not the least strength left, he drew his sword, and 
slid down the ropes; he then killed the giants, and 
thus saved himself from the cruel death they meant 
to put him to. Jack next took a great bunch of keys 


258 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

from the pocket of Blunderbore, and went into the 
castle again. He made a strict search through all 
the rooms; and in them found three ladies tied up 
by the hair of their heads, and almost starved to 
death. They told him that their husbands had been 
killed by the giants, who had then condemned them 
to be starved to death, because they would not eat 
the flesh of their own dead husbands. “ Ladies,” 
said Jack, “ I have put an end to the monster and 
his wicked brother; and I give you this castle and 
all the riches it contains, to make you some amends 
for the dreadful pains you have felt.” He then very 
politely gave them the keys of the castle, and went 
further on his journey to Wales. As Jack had not 
taken any of the giant’s riches for himself, and so 
had very little money of his own, he thought it best 
to travel as fast as he could. At length he lost 
his way, and when night came on he was in a lonely 
valley between two lofty mountains, where he 
walked about for some hours without seeing any 
dwelling place, so he thought himself very lucky at 
last, in finding a large and handsome house. 

He went up to it boldly, and knocked loudly at 
the gate, when, to his great terror and surprise, there 
came forth a monstrous giant with two heads. He 
spoke to Jack very civilly, for he was a Welsh giant, 
and all the mischief he did was by private and secret 
malice, under the show of friendship and kindness. 
Jack told him that he was a traveller who had lost 
his way, on which the huge monster made him wel¬ 
come, and led him into a room, where there was a 
good bed to pass the night in. Jack took off his 
clothes quickly; but though he was so weary he 


Jack the Giant Killer 


259 


could not go to sleep. Soon after this he heard the 
giant walking backward and forward in the next 
room, and saying to himself: 

“ Though here you lodge with me this night, 

You shall not see the morning light; 

My club shall dash your brains out quite.” 

“Say you so?” thought Jack; “are these your 
tricks upon travellers ? But I hope to prove as cun¬ 
ning as you.” Then getting out of bed, he groped 
about the room, and at last found a large thick billet 
of wood; he laid it in his own place in the bed, and 
then hid himself in a dark corner of the room. In 
the middle of the night the giant came with his 
great club, and struck many heavy blows on the bed, 
in the very place where Jack had laid the billet, and 
then he went back to his own room, thinking he had 
broken all his bones. Early in the morning, Jack 
put a bold face upon the matter, and walked into 
the giant’s room to thank him for his lodgings. The 
giant started when he saw him, and he began to 
stammer out, “ Oh, dear me! Is it you ? Pray, how 
did you sleep last night? Did you hear or see any 
thing in the dead of the night ? ” “ Nothing worth 
speaking of,” said Jack carelessly; “ a rat, I believe, 
gave me three or four slaps with his tail, and dis¬ 
turbed me a little; but I soon went to sleep again.” 
The giant wondered more and more at this; yet he 
did not answer a word, but went to bring two great 
bowls of hasty-pudding for their breakfast. Jack 
wished to make the giant believe that he could eat 
as much as himself. So he contrived to button a 


260 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

leathern bag inside his coat, and slipped the hasty- 
pudding into this bag, while he seemed to put it into 
his mouth. When breakfast was over, he said to the 
giant: “ Now I will show you a fine trick; I can cure 
all wounds with a touch; I could cut off my head 
one minute, and the next, put it sound again on my 
shoulders: you shall see an example.” He then took 
hold of the knife, ripped up the leathern bag, and all 
the hasty-pudding tumbled out upon the floor. 
“ Ods splutter hur nails,” cried the Welsh giant, 
who was ashamed to be outdone by such a little fel¬ 
low as Jack, “ hur can do that hurself.” So he 
snatched up the knife, plunged it into his stomach, 
and in a moment dropped down dead. 

As soon as Jack had thus tricked the Welsh mon¬ 
ster, he went farther on his journey; and a few days 
after he met with King Arthur’s only son, who had 
got his father’s leave to travel into Wales, to deliver 
a beautiful lady from the power of a wicked magi¬ 
cian, who held her in his enchantments. When 
Jack found that the young prince had no servants 
with him, he begged leave to attend him; and the 
prince at once agreed to this, and gave Jack many 
thanks for his kindness. The prince was a hand¬ 
some, polite, and brave knight, and so good-natured 
that he gave money to every body he met. At length 
he gave his last penny to an old woman, and then 
turned to Jack, and said: “ How shall we be able 
to get food for ourselves the rest of our journey? ” 
“ Leave that to me sir,” said Jack; “ I will provide 
for my prince.” Night now came on, and the prince 
began to grow uneasy at thinking where they should 
lodge. “Sir,” said Jack, “be of good heart; two 


Jack the Giant Killer 


261 


miles farther there lives a large giant, whom I know 
well. He has three heads, and will fight five hundred 
men, and make them fly before him.” “ Alas! ” re¬ 
plied the king’s son, “ we had better never have been 
born than meet with such a monster.” “ My lord, 
leave me to manage him, and wait here in quiet till I 
return.” The prince now staid behind, while Jack 
rode on full speed. And when he came to the gates 
of the castle, he gave a loud knock. The giant, with 
a voice like thunder, roared out: “ Who is there ? ” 
And Jack made answer, and said: “ No one but 
^our poor cousin Jack.” “ Well,” said the giant, 
“what news, cousin Jack?” “Dear uncle,” said 
Jack, “ I have some heavy news.” “ Pooh! ” said 
the giant, “ what heavy news can come to me ? I 
am a giant with three heads; and can fight five hun¬ 
dred men, and make them fly before me.” “ Alas! ” 
said Jack, “ Here is the king’s son, coming with two 
thousand men, to kill you, and to destroy the castle 
and all that you have.” “ Oh, cousin Jack,” said the 
giant, “ This is heavy news indeed! But I have a 
large cellar under ground, where I will hide myself, 
and you shall lock, and bar me in, and keep the keys 
till the king’s son is gone.” 

Now when Jack had made the giant fast in the 
vault, he went back and fetched the prince to the 
castle; they both made themselves merry with the 
wine and other dainties that were in the house. So 
that night they rested very pleasantly, while the 
poor giant lay trembling and shaking with fear in 
the cellar under ground. Early in the morning, Jack 
gave the king’s son gold and silver out of the giant’s 
treasure, and set him three miles forward on his 


262 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

journey. He then went to let his uncle out of the 
hole, who asked Jack what he should give him as a 
reward for saving his castle. “ Why, good uncle,” 
said Jack, “ I desire nothing but the old coat and 
cap, with the old rusty sword and slippers, which 
are hanging at your bed’s head.” Then said the 
giant: “You shall have them; and pray keep them 
for my sake, for they are things of great use: the 
coat will keep you invisible, the cap will give you 
knowledge, the sword cut through anything, and the 
shoes are of vast swiftness; these may be useful to 
you in all times of danger, so take them with all my 
heart.” Jack gave many thanks to the giant, and 
then set off to the prince. When he had come up 
with the king’s son, they soon arrived at the dwell¬ 
ing of the beautiful lady, who was under the power 
of a wicked magician. She received the prince very 
politely, and made a noble feast for him; and when it 
was ended, she rose, and wiping her mouth with a 
fine handkerchief, said: “ My lord, you must submit 
to the custom of my palace; to-morrow morning I 
command you to tell me on whom I bestow this 
handkerchief or lose your head.” She then went 
out of the room. The young prince went to bed 
very mournful: but Jack put on his cap of knowl¬ 
edge, which told him that the lady was forced, by the 
power of enchantment, to meet the wicked magician 
every night in the middle of the forest. Jack now 
put on his coat of darkness, and his shoes of swift¬ 
ness, and was there before her. When the lady 
came, she gave the handkerchief to the magician. 
Jack with his sword of sharpness, at one blow, cut 
off his head; the enchantment was then ended in a 


Jack the Giant Killer 263 

moment, and the lady was restored to her former 
virtue and goodness. 

She was married to the prince on the next day, 
and soon after went back with her royal husband, 
and a great company, to the court of King Arthur, 
where they were received with loud and joyful wel¬ 
comes ; and the valiant hero Jack, for the many great 
exploits he had done for the good of his country, 
was made one of the Knights of the Round Table. 
As Jack had been so lucky in all his adventures, he 
re,solved not to be idle for the future, but still to 
do what services he could for the honour of the king 
and the nation. He therefore humbly begged his 
majesty to furnish him with a horse and money, 
that he might travel in search of new and strange 
exploits. “ For,” said he to the king, “ there are 
many giants yet living in the remote parts of Wales, 
to the great terror and distress of your majesty’s 
subjects; therefore if it please you, sire, to favour 
me in my design, I will soon rid your kingdom of 
these giants and monsters in human shape.” Now 
when the king heard this offer, and began to think 
of the cruel deeds of these blood-thirsty giants and 
savage monsters, he gave Jack every thing proper 
for such a journey. After this Jack took leave of the 
king, the prince, and all the knights, and set off; 
taking with him his cap of knowledge, his sword of 
sharpness, his shoes of swiftness, and his invisible 
coat, the better to perform the great exploits that 
might fall in his way. He went along over high hills 
and lofty mountains, and on the third day he came 
to a large wide forest, through which his road led. 
He had hardly entered the forest, when on a sudden 


264 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

he heard very dreadful shrieks and cries. He forced 
his way through the trees, and saw a monstrous 
giant dragging along by the hair of their heads a 
handsome knight and his beautiful lady. Their tears 
and cries melted the heart of honest Jack to pity and 
compassion; he alighted from his horse, and tying 
him to an oak tree he put on his invisible coat, under 
which he carried his sword of sharpness. 

When he came up to the giant, he made several 
strokes at him, but could not reach his body, on ac¬ 
count of the enormous height of the terrible creature, 
but he wounded his thighs in several places; and at 
length, putting both hands to his sword, and aim¬ 
ing with all his might, he cut off both the giant’s legs 
just below the garter; and the trunk of his body 
tumbling to the ground, made not only the trees 
shake, but the earth itself tremble with the force of 
his fall. Then Jack, setting his foot upon his neck, 
exclaimed, “ Thou barbarous and savage wretch, 
behold I come to execute upon thee the just reward 
for all thy crimes; ” and instantly plunged his sword 
into the giant’s body. The huge monster gave a 
hideous groan, and yielded up his life into the hands 
of the victorious Jack the Giant Killer, whilst the 
noble knight and the virtuous lady were both joyful 
spectators of his sudden death and their deliverance. 
The courteous knight and his fair lady, not only re¬ 
turned Jack hearty thanks for their deliverance, but 
also invited him to their house, to refresh himself 
after his dreadful encounter, as likewise to receive a 
reward for his good services. “ No,” said Jack, “ I 
cannot be at ease till I find out the den that was the 
monster’s habitation.” The knight on hearing this 


Jack the Giant Killer 


265 


grew very sorrowful, and replied, “ Noble stranger, 
it is too much to run a second hazard; this monster 
lived in a den under yonder mountain, with a brother 
of his, more fierce and cruel than himself; therefore, 
if you should go thither, and perish in the attempt, 
it would be a heart-breaking thing to me and my 
lady; so let me persuade you to go with us, and de¬ 
sist from any farther pursuit.” “ Nay,” answered 
Jack, “ if there be another, even if there were twenty, 
I would shed the last drop of blood in my body be¬ 
fore one of them should escape my fury. When I 
have finished this task, I will come and pay my re¬ 
spects to you.” So when they had told him where to 
find them again, he got on his horse and went after 
the dead giant’s brother. 

Jack had not rode a mile and a half, before he 
came in sight of the mouth of the cavern; and nigh 
the entrance of it, he saw the other giant sitting on a 
huge block of fine timber, with a knotted iron club 
lying by his side, waiting for his brother. His eyes 
looked like flames of fire, his face was grim and ugly, 
and his cheeks seemed like two flitches of bacon; 
the bristles of his beard seemed to be thick rods of 
iron wire; and his long locks of hair hung down 
upon his broad shoulders like curling snakes. Jack 
got down from his horse, and turned him into a 
thicket; then he put on his coat of darkness, and 
drew a little nearer to behold this figure, and said 
softly: “ Oh, monster! are you there ? It will not be 
long before I shall take you fast by the beard.” The 
giant all this while, could not see him, by reason of 
his invisible coat: so Jack came quite close to him, 
and struck a blow at his head with his sword of 


266 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

sharpness, but he missed his aim, and only cut off 
his nose, which made him roar like loud claps of 
thunder. And though he rolled his glaring eyes 
round on every side, he could not see who had given 
him the blow; yet he took up his iron club, and be¬ 
gan to lay about him like one that was mad with pain 
and fury. 

“ Nay,” said Jack, “ if this be the case I will kill 
you at once.” So saying, he slipped nimbly behind 
him, and jumping upon the block of timber, as the 
giant rose from it, he stabbed him in the back; when, 
after a few howls, he dropped down dead. Jack 
cut off his head, and sent it with the head of his 
brother, whom he had killed before in the forest, to 
King Arthur, by a wagon which he hired for that 
purpose, with an account of all his exploits. When 
Jack had thus killed these two monsters, he went 
into their cave in search of their treasure: he passed 
through many turnings and windings, which led him 
to a room paved with freestone; at the end of it was 
a boiling caldron, and on the right hand stood a 
large table where the giants used to dine. He then 
came to a window that was secured with iron bars, 
through which he saw a number of wretched cap¬ 
tives, who cried out when they saw Jack, “Alas! 
alas! young man, you are come to be one among us 
in this horrid den.” “ I hope,” said Jack, “ you will 
not stay here long; but pray tell me what is the 
meaning of your being here at all ? ” “ Alas! ” said 
one poor old man, “ I will tell you, sir. We are 
persons that have been taken by the giants who hold 
this cave, and are kept till they choose to have a 
feast, then one of us is to be killed, and cooked 


Jack the Giant Killer 


267 


to please their taste. It is not long since they took 
three for the same purpose.” “ Well,” said Jack, 
“ I have given them such a dinner that it will be 
long enough before they have any more.” The 
captives were amazed at his words. “ You may be¬ 
lieve me,” said Jack; “ for I have killed them both 
with the edge of the sword, and have sent their large 
heads to the court of King Arthur, as marks of my 
great success.” 

To show them that what he said was true, he un¬ 
locked the gate, and set them all free. Then he 
led them to the great room, placed them round the 
table, and set before them two quarters of beef, 
with bread and wine; upon which they feasted to 
their fill. When supper was over, they searched the 
giants’ coffers, and Jack shared the store in them 
among the captives, who thanked him for their es¬ 
cape. The next morning they set off to their homes, 
and Jack to the knight’s house, whom he had left 
with his lady not long before. It was just at the 
time of sunrise that Jack mounted his horse to pro¬ 
ceed on his journey. 

He arrived at the knight’s house, where he was 
received with the greatest joy by the thankful knight 
and his lady, who, in honour of Jack’s exploits, gave 
a grand feast, to which all the nobles and gentry 
were invited. When the company were assembled, 
the knight declared to them the great actions of 
Jack, and gave him, as a mark of respect, a fine 
ring, on which was engraved the picture of the giant 
dragging the knight and the lady by the hair, with 
this motto round it: 


268 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

“ Behold, in dire distress were we, 

Under a giant’s fierce command; 

But gained our lives and liberty, 

From valiant Jack’s victorious hand.” 

Among the guests then present were five aged 
gentlemen, who were fathers to some of those cap¬ 
tives who had been freed by Jack from the dungeon 
of the giants. As soon as they heard that he was the 
person who had done such wonders, they pressed 
round him with tears of joy, to return him thanks 
for the happiness he had caused to them. After this 
the bowl went round, and every one drank to the 
health and long life of the gallant hero. Mirth in¬ 
creased, and the hall was filled with peals of laugh¬ 
ter and joyful cries. But, on a sudden, a herald, 
pale and breathless with haste and terror, rushed 
into the midst of the company, and told them that 
Thundel, a savage giant with two heads, had heard 
of the death of his two kinsmen, and was come to 
take his revenge on Jack; and that he was now 
within a mile of the house; the people flying before 
him like chaff before the wind. At this news the 
very boldest of the guests trembled; but Jack drew 
his sword, and said: “ Let him come, I have a rod 
for him also. Pray, ladies and gentlemen, do me the 
favour to walk into the garden, and you shall soon 
behold the giant’s defeat and death.” To this they 
all agreed, and heartily wished him success in his 
dangerous attempt. The knight’s house stood in 
the middle of a moat, thirty feet deep and twenty 
wide, over which lay a drawbridge. Jack set men 
to work, to cut the bridge on both sides, almost to 


Jack the Giant Killer 


269 


the middle; and then dressed himself in his coat of 
darkness, and went against the giant with his sword 
of sharpness. As he came close to him, though the 
giant could not see him, for his invisible coat, yet he 
found some danger was near, which made him cry 
out: 

“ Fa, fe, fi, fo, fum, 

I smell the blood of an Englishman; 

Let him be alive, or let him be dead, 

I’ll grind his bones to make me bread.” 

“ Say you so my friend? ” said Jack, “ you are a 
monstrous miller indeed.” “Art thou/' cried the 
giant, “ the villain that killed my kinsmen ? Then 
I will tear thee with my teeth, and grind thy bones 
to powder.” “ You must catch me first,” said Jack; 
and throwing off his coat of darkness, and putting 
on his shoes of swiftness, he began to run; the giant 
following him like a walking castle, making the 
earth shake at every step. 

Jack led him round and round the walls of the 
house, that the company might see the monster; and 
to finish the work Jack ran over the drawbridge, 
the giant going after him with his club. But when 
the giant came to the middle, where the bridge had 
been cut on both sides, the great weight of his body 
made it break, and he tumbled into the water, and 
rolled about like a large whale. Jack now stood by 
the side of the moat, and laughed and jeered at 
him, saying: “ I think you told me, you would 
grind my bones to powder. When will you begin ? ” 
The giant foamed at both his horrid mouths with 
fury, and plunged from side to side of the moat; 


276 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

but he could not get out to have revenge on his little 
foe. At last Jack ordered a cart rope to be brought 
to him. He then drew it over his two heads, and by 
the help of a team of horses, dragged him to the 
edge of the moat, where he cut off the monster’s 
heads; and before he either eat or drank, he sent 
them both to the court of King Arthur. He then 
went back to the table with the company, and the 
rest of the day was spent in mirth and good cheer. 
After staying with the knight for some time, Jack 
grew weary of such an idle life, and set out again in 
search of new adventures. He went over the hills 
and dales without meeting any, till he came to the 
foot of a very high mountain. Here he knocked 
at the door of a small and lonely house; and an old 
man, with a head as white as snow, let him in. 
“ Good father,” said Jack, “ can you lodge a traveller 
who has lost his way?” “ Yes,” said the hermit, 
“ I can, if you will qccept such fare as my poor 
house affords.” Jack entered, and the old man set 
before him some bread and fruit for his supper. 
When Jack had eaten as much as he chose, the her¬ 
mit said, “ My son, I know you are the famous con¬ 
queror of giants; now, on the top of this mountain 
is an enchanted castle, kept by a giant named Galli- 
gantus, who, by the help of a vile magician, gets 
many knights into his castle, where he changes them 
into the shape of beasts. Above all I lament the 
hard fate of a duke’s daughter, whom they seized 
as she was walking in her father’s garden, and 
brought hither through the air in a chariot drawn by 
two fiery dragons, and turned her into the shape of a 
deer. Many knights have tried to destroy the en- 


Jack the Giant Killer 


271 


chantment, and deliver her; yet none have been able 
to do it, by reason of two fiery griffins who guard 
the gate of the castle, and destroy all who come nigh. 
But as you, my son, have an invisible coat, you may 
pass by them without being seen; and on the gates 
of the castle, you will find engraved, by what means 
the enchantment may be broken.” 

Jack promised, that in the morning, at the risk of 
his life he would break the enchantment: and after 
a sound sleep he arose early, put on his invisible 
coat, and got ready for the attempt. When he had 
climbed to the top of the mountain, he saw the two 
fiery griffins; but he passed between them without 
the least fear of danger; for they could not see him 
because of his invisible coat. On the castle gate he 
found a golden trumpet, under which were written 
these lines: 

“ Whoever can this trumpet blow, 

Shall cause the giant’s overthrow.” 

As soon as Jack had read this, he seized the trum¬ 
pet, and blew a shrill blast which made the gates 
fly open and the very castle itself tremble. The 
giant and the conjurer now knew that their wicked 
course was at an end, and they stood biting their 
thumbs and shaking with fear. Jack, with his sword 
of sharpness, soon killed the giant. The magician 
was then carried away by a whirlwind and every 
knight and beautiful lady, who had been changed 
into birds and beasts, returned to their proper shapes. 
The castle vanished away like smoke and the head 
of the giant Galligantus was sent to King Arthur. 


272 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

The knights and ladies rested that night at the old 
man’s hermitage, and next day they set out for the 
court. Jack then went up to the king, and gave his 
majesty an account of all his fierce battles. Jack’s 
fame had spread through the whole country; and at 
the king’s desire, the duke gave him his daugh¬ 
ter in marriage, to ‘the joy of all the kingdom. After 
this the king gave him a large estate; on which he 
and his lady lived the rest of their days, in joy and 
content. 


CHAPTER XIX 


LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD 

Once upon a time there lived in a village a coun¬ 
try girl, who was the sweetest little creature that 
ever was seen; her mother naturally loved her with 
excessive fondness, and her grandmother doted on 
her still more. The good woman had made for her 
a pretty little red-coloured hood, which so much be¬ 
came the little girl, that every one called her Little 
Red Riding Hood. 

One day her mother having made some cheese¬ 
cakes, said to her, “ Go, my child, and see how your 
grandmother does, for I hear she is ill; carry her 
some of these cakes, and a little pot of butter.” 
Little Red Riding Hood straight set out with a bas¬ 
ket filled with the cakes and the pot of butter, for 
her grandmother’s house, which was in a village a 
little way off the town that her mother lived in. As 
she was crossing a wood, which lay in her road, she 
met a large wolf, which had a great mind to eat her 
up, but dared not, for fear of some wood-cutters, who 
were,at work near them in the forest. Yet he spoke 
to her, and asked her whither she was going. The 
little girl, who did not know the danger of talking 
to a wolf, replied: “ I am going to see my grand¬ 
mamma, and carry these cakes and a pot of butter.” 


274 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

“ Does she live far off? ” said the wolf. “ Oh yes! ” 
answered Little Red Riding Hood; “ beyond the mill 
you see yonder, at the first house in the village.” 
“ Well,” said the wolf, “ I will take this way, and 
you take that, and see which will be there the soon¬ 
est.” 

The wolf set out full speed, running as fast as he 
could, and taking the nearest way, while the little 
girl took the longest; and as she went along began 
to gather nuts, run after butterflies, and make nose¬ 
gays of such flowers as she found within her reach. 
The wolf got to the dwelling of the grandmother 
first, and knocked at the door. “ Who is there ? ” 
said some voice in the house. “ It is your grand¬ 
child, Little Red Riding Hood,” said the wolf, speak¬ 
ing like the little girl as well as he could. “ I have 
brought you some cheesecakes, and a little pot of 
butter, that mamma has sent you.” The good old 
woman, who was ill in bed, called out, “ Pull the 
bobbin, and the latch will go up.” The wolf pulled 
the bobbin, and the door went open. The wolf then 
jumped upon the poor old grandmother, and ate her 
up in a moment, for it was three days since he had 
tasted any food. The wolf then shut the door, and 
laid himself down in the bed, and waited for Little 
Red Riding Hood, who very soon after reached the 
house. Tap! tap! “ Who is there ? ” cried he. She 
was at first a little afraid at hearing the gruff voice 
of the wolf, but she thought that perhaps her grand¬ 
mother had got a cold, so she answered: “ It is your 
grandchild, Little Red Riding Hood. Mamma has 
sent you some cheesecakes, and a little pot of but¬ 
ter.” The wolf cried out in a softer voice, “ Pull 


Little Red Riding Hood 


275 


the bobbin, and the latch will go up.” Little Red 
Riding Hood pulled the bobbin, and the door went 
open. When she came into the room, the wolf hid 
himself under the bedclothes, and said to her, try¬ 
ing all he could to speak in a feeble voice: “ Put the 
basket on the stool, my dear, and take off your 
clothes, and come into bed.” Little Red Riding 
Hood, who always used to do as she was told, 
straight undressed herself, and stepped into bed; 
but she thought it strange to see how her grand¬ 
mother looked in her nightclothes, so she said to her: 
“ Dear me, grandmamma, what great arms you have 
got! ” They are so much the better to hug you, my 
child,” replied the wolf. “ But grandmamma,” said 
the little girl, “ what great ears you have got 1 ” 
“ They are so much the better to hear you, my child,” 
replied the wolf. “ But then, grandmamma, what 
great eyes you have got! ” said the little girl. “ They 
are so much the better to see you, my child,” replied 
the wolf. “ And grandmamma, what great teeth 
you have got! ” said the little girl, who now began 
to be rather afraid. “ They are to eat you up,” said 
the wolf; and saying these words, the wicked crea¬ 
ture fell upon Little Red Riding Hood, and ate her 
up in a moment. 


CHAPTER XX 


THE THREE BEARS 

In a far-off country there was once a little girl 
who was called Silver-hair, because her curly hair 
shone brightly. She was a sad romp, and so rest¬ 
less that she could not be kept quiet at home, but 
must needs run out and away, without leave. 

One day she started off into a wood to gather 
wild flowers, and into the fields to chase butterflies. 
She ran here and she ran there, and went so far, 
at last, that she found herself in a lonely place, where 
she saw a snug little house, in which three bears 
lived; but they were not then at home. 

The door was ajar, and Silver-hair pushed it open 
and found the place to be quite empty, so she made 
up her mind to go in boldly, and look all about the 
place, little thinking what sort of people lived there. 

Now the three bears had gone out to walk a little 
before this. They were the Big Bear, and the Mid¬ 
dle-sized Bear, and the Little Bear; but they had 
left their porridge on the table to cool. So when 
Silver-hair came into the kitchen, she saw the three 
bowls of porridge. She tasted the largest bowl, 
which belonged to the Big Bear, and found it too 
cold; then she tasted the middle-sized bowl, which 
belonged to the Middle-sized Bear, and found it too 
hot; then she tasted the smallest bowl, which be- 


The Three Bears 


277 


longed to the Little Bear, and it was just right, and 
she ate it all. 

She went into the parlour, and there were three 
chairs. She tried the biggest chair, which belonged 
to the Big Bear, and found it too high; then she 
tried the middle-sized chair, which belonged to the 
Middle-sized Bear, and she found it too broad; then 
she tried the little chair, which belonged to the Little 
Bear, and found it just right, but she sat in it so 
hard that she broke it. 

Now Silver-hair was by this time very tired, 
and she went upstairs to the chamber, and there she 
found three beds. She tried the largest bed, which 
belonged to the Big Bear, and found it too soft; 
then she tried the middle-sized bed, which belonged 
to the Middle-sized Bear, and she found it too hard; 
then she tried the smallest bed, which belonged to the 
Little Bear, and found it just right, so she lay down 
upon it, and fell fast asleep. 

While Silver-hair was lying fast asleep, the three 
bears came home from their walk. They came into 
the kitchen, to get their porridge, but when the Big 
Bear went to his, he growled out: 

“ SOMEBODY HAS BEEN TASTING MY 
PORRIDGE! ” 

and the Middle-sized Bear looked into his bowl, and 
said : 

“ Somebody has been tasting my porridge ! ” 
and the Little Bear piped : 

“Somebody has tasted my porridge and eaten it 
all up l” 

Then they went into the parlour, and the Big Bear 
growled: 


278 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

“ SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY 
CHAIR! ” 

and the Middle-sized Bear said: 

“ Somebody has been sitting in my chair ! ” 
and the Little Bear piped: 

te Somebody has been sitting in my chair, and 
has broken it all to pieces!” 

So they went up-stairs into the chamber, and the 
Big Bear growled: 

“ SOMEBODY HAS BEEN TUMBLING MY 
BED! ” 

and the Middle-sized Bear said: 

“ Somebody has been tumbling my bed! ” 
and the little Bear piped: 

" Somebody has been tumbling my bed, and here 
she is!” 

At that, Silver-hair woke in a fright, and jumped 
out of the window and ran away as fast as her legs 
could carry her, and never went near the Three 
Bears’ snug little house again. 


CHAPTER XXI 


THE PRINCESS ON THE PEA 

There was once a prince who wanted to marry 
a princess; but she was to be a real princess. So he 
travelled about, all through the world, to find a real 
one, but everywhere there was something in the 
way. There were princesses enough, but whether 
they were real princesses he could not quite make 
out: there was always something that did not seem 
quite right. So he came home again, and was quite 
sad: for he wished so much to have a real princess. 
One evening a terrible storm came on. It lightened 
and thundered, the rain streamed down; it was 
quite fearful! Then there was a knocking at the 
town gate, and the old king went out to open it. 

It was a princess who stood outside the gate. 
But, mercy! how she looked, from the rain and the 
rough weather! The water ran down from her hair 
and her clothes; it ran in at the points of her shoes, 
and out at the heels; and yet she declared that she 
was a real princess. 

“ Yes, we will soon find that out,” thought the old 
queen. But she said nothing, only went into the 
bedchamber, took all the bedding oif, and put a pea 
on the flooring of the bedstead ; then she took twenty 
mattresses and laid them upon the pea, and then 


280 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

twenty eider-down beds upon the mattresses. On 
this the princess had to lie all night. In the morn¬ 
ing she was asked how she had slept. 

“ Oh, miserably! ” said the princess. “ I scarcely 
closed my eyes all night long. Goodness knows what 
was in my bed. I lay upon something hard, so that 
I am black and blue all over. It is quite dreadful! ” 
Now they saw that she was a real princess, for 
through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider¬ 
down beds she had felt the pea. No one but a real 
princess could be so delicate. 

So the prince took her for his wife, for now he 
knew that he had a true princess; and the pea was 
put in the museum, and it is there now, unless some¬ 
body has carried it off. 

Look you, this is a true story. 


CHAPTER XXII 


THE UGLY DUCKLING 

It was so glorious out in the country; it was sum¬ 
mer ; the cornfields were yellow, the oats were green, 
the hay had been put up in stacks in the green mead¬ 
ows, and the stork went about on his long red legs, 
and chattered Egyptian, for this was the language he 
had learned from his good mother. All around the 
fields and meadows were great forests, and in the 
midst of these forests lay deep lakes. Yes, it was 
right glorious out in the country. In the midst of 
the sunshine there lay an old farm, with deep canals 
about it, and from the wall down to the water grew 
great burdocks, so high that little children could 
stand upright under the loftiest of them. It was 
just as wild there as in the deepest wood, and here 
sat a Duck upon her nest; she had to hatch her 
ducklings; but she was almost tired out before the 
little ones came and then she so seldom had visitors. 
The other ducks liked better to swim about in the 
canals than to run up to sit down under a burdock, 
and cackle with her. 

At last one egg-shell after another burst open. 
“Piep! piep!it cried, and in all the eggs there 
were little creatures that stuck out their heads. 

“ Quack! quack! ” they said; and they all came 
quacking out as fast as they could, looking all round 


282 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

them under the green leaves; and the mother let 
them look as much as they chose, for green is good 
for the eye. 

“ How wide the world is 1 ” said all the young 
ones, for they certainly had much more room now 
than when they were in the eggs. 

“D’ye think this is all the world?” said the 
mother. “ That stretches far across the other side 
of the garden, quite into the parson’s field; but I 
have never been there yet. I hope you are all to¬ 
gether,” and she stood up. “ No, I have not all. 
The largest egg still lies there. How long is that to 
last? I am really tired of it.” And she sat down 
again. 

“ Well, how goes it ? ” asked an old Duck who 
had come to pay her a visit. 

“ It lasts a long time with that one egg,” said the 
Duck who sat there. “ It will not burst. Now, only 
look at the others; are they not the prettiest little 
ducks one could possibly see ? They are all like their 
father. The rogue, he never comes to see me.” 

“ Let me see the egg which will not burst,” said 
the old visitor. “ You may be sure it is a turkey’s 
egg. I was once cheated in that way, and had much 
anxiety and trouble with the young ones, for they 
are afraid of the water. Must I say it to you, I 
could not get them to venture in. I quacked and I 
clacked, but it was no use. Let me see the egg. 
Yes, that’s a turkey’s egg. Let it lie there, and 
teach the other children to swim.” 

“ I think I will sit on it a little longer,” said the 
Duck. “ I’ve sat so long now that I can sit a few 
days more.” 


The Ugly Duckling 283 

“ Just as you please,” said the old Duck; and she 
went away. 

At last the great egg burst. “ Piep! piep! ” said 
the little one, and crept forth. It was very large and 
very ugly. The Duck looked at it. 

“ It’s a very large duckling,” said she; “ none of 
the others look like that. Can it really be a turkey 
chick? Well, we shall soon find out. It must go 
into the water, even if I have to thrust it in my¬ 
self.” 

The next day it was bright, beautiful weather; 
the sun shone on all the green trees. The Mother- 
Duck went down to the canal with all her family. 
Splash! she jumped into the water. “ Quack! 
quack! ” she said, and one duckling after another 
plunged in. The water closed over their heads, but 
they came up in an instant, and swam capitally; 
their legs went of themselves, and they were all in 
the water. The ugly gray Duckling swam with 
them. 

“ No, it’s not a turkey,” said she; “ look how well 
it can use its legs, and how straight it holds itself. 
It is my own child! On the whole it’s quite pretty, 
if one looks at it rightly. Quack! quack! come with 
me, and I’ll lead you out into the great world, and 
present you in the duck-yard; but keep close to me, 
so that no one may tread on you, and take care of 
the cats! ” 

And so they came into the duck-yard. There was 
a terrible riot going on in there, for two families 
were quarrelling about an eel’s head, and the cat got 
it after all. 

“ See, that’s how it goes in the world! ” said the 


284 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

Mother-Duck; and she whetted her beak, for she 
too wanted the eel’s head. “ Only use your legs,” 
she said. “ See that you can bustle about, and bow 
your heads before the old Duck yonder. She’s the 
grandest of all here; she’s of Spanish blood—that’s 
why she’s so fat; and d’ye see? she has a red rag 
round her leg; that’s something particularly fine, and 
the greatest distinction a duck can enjoy; it signifies 
that one does not want to lose her, and that she’s 
to be known by the animals and by men too. Shake 
yourselves—don’t turn in your toes; a well brought- 
up duck turns its toes quite out, just like father and 
mother—so! Now bend your necks and say 
‘ Quack!”’ 

And they did so: but the other ducks round about 
looked at them, and said quite boldly: 

“ Look there! now we’re to have these hanging 
on, as if there were not enough of us already! And 
—fie!—how that duckling yonder looks; we won’t 
stand that! ” And one duck flew up at it, and bit it 
in the neck. 

“ Let it alone,” said the mother; “ it does no harm 
to any one.” 

“Yes, but it’s too large and peculiar,” said the 
Duck who had bitten it; “ and therefore it must be 
put down.” 

“ Those are pretty children that the mother has 
there,” said the old Duck with the rag round her 
leg. “ They’re all pretty but that one; that was 
rather unlucky. I wish she could bear it over again.” 

“ That cannot be done, my lady,” replied the 
Mother-Duck. “ It is not pretty, but it has a really 
good disposition, and swims as well as any other; 


The Ugly Duckling 


285 


yes, I may even say it, swims better. I think it will 
grow up pretty, and become smaller in time; it has 
lain too long in the egg, and therefore is not properly 
shaped.” And then she pinched it in the neck, and 
smoothed its feathers. “ Moreover, it is a drake,” 
she said, “ and therefore it is not of so much conse¬ 
quence. I think he will be very strong. He makes 
his way already.” 

“ The other ducklings are graceful enough,” said 
the old Duck. “ Make yourself at home; and if you 
find an eel’s head, you may bring it me.” 

And now they were at home. But the poor Duck¬ 
ling which had crept last out of the egg, and looked 
so ugly, was bitten and pushed and jeered, as much 
by the ducks as by the chickens. 

“ It is too big! ” they all said. And the turkey- 
cock, who had been born with spurs, and therefore 
thought himself an emperor, blew himself up like a 
ship in full sail, and bore straight down upon it; then 
he gobbled and grew quite red in the face. The poor 
Duckling did not know where it should stand or 
walk; it was quite melancholy because it looked 
ugly, and was the butt of the whole duck-yard. 

So it went on the first day; and afterwards it be¬ 
came worse and worse. The poor Duckling was 
hunted about by every one; even its brothers and 
sisters were quite angry with it, and said, “ If the 
cat would only catch you, you ugly creature! ” And 
the mother said, “ If you were only far away!” 
And the ducks bit it, and the chickens beat it, and the 
girl who had to feed the poultry kicked at it with her 
foot. 


286 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

Then it ran and flew over the fence, and the little 
birds in the bushes flew up in fear. 

“ That is because I am so ugly! ” thought the 
Duckling; and it shut its eyes, but flew on farther, 
and so it came out into the great moor, where the 
wild ducks lived. Here it lay the whole night long; 
and it was weary and downcast. 

Towards morning the wild ducks flew up, and 
looked at their new companion. 

“ What sort of a one are you ? ” they asked; and 
the Duckling turned in every direction, and bowed 
as well as it could. “You are remarkably ugly!” 
said the Wild Ducks. “ But that is nothing to us, 
so long as you do not marry into our family.” 

Poor thing! it certainly did not think of marry¬ 
ing, and only hoped to obtain leave to lie among the 
reeds and drink some of the swamp water. 

Thus it lay two whole days; then came thither 
two wild geese, or, properly speaking, two wild 
ganders. It was not long since each had crept out 
of an egg, and that’s why they were so saucy. 

“ Listen, comrade,” said one of them. “ You’re 
so ugly that I like you. Will you go with us, and 
become a bird of passage? Near here, in another 
moor, there are a few sweet lovely wild geese, all 
unmarried, and all able to say ‘Rap!’ You’ve a 
chance of making your fortune, ugly as you are.” 

“ Piff! paff! ” resounded through the air; and the 
two ganders fell down dead in the swamp, and the 
water became blood red. “ Piff! paff! ” it sounded 
again, and the whole flock of wild geese rose up 
from the reeds. And then there was another report. 
A great hunt was going on. The sportsmen were 


The Ugly Duckling 


287 


lying in wait all round the moor, and some were 
even sitting up in the branches of the trees, which 
spread far over the reeds. The blue smoke rose up 
like clouds among the dark trees, and was wafted far 
away across the water; and the hunting dogs came— 
splash, splash!—into the swamp, and the rushes and 
the reeds bent down on every side. That was a fright 
for the poor Duckling! It turned its head, and put 
it under its wing; but at that moment a frightful 
great dog stood close by the Duckling. His tongue 
hung far out of his mouth, and his eyes gleamed hor¬ 
rible and ugly; he thrust out his nose close against 
the Duckling, showed his sharp teeth, and—splash, 
splash!—on he went, without seizing it. 

“ Oh, Heaven be thanked! ” sighed the Duckling. 
“ I am so ugly that even the dog does not like to bite 
me! ” 

And so it lay quite quiet, while the shots rattled 
through the reeds and gun after gun was fired. At 
last, late in the day, all was still; but the poor Duck¬ 
ling did not dare to rise up; it waited several hours 
before it looked round, and then hastened away out 
of the moor as fast as it could. It ran on over field 
and meadow; there was such a storm raging that 
it was difficult to get from one place to another. 

Towards evening the Duck came to a little misera¬ 
ble peasant's hut. This hut was so dilapidated that 
it did not itself know on which side it should fall; 
and that's why it remained standing. The storm 
whistled round the Duckling in such a way that the 
poor creature was obliged to sit down, to stand 
against it; and the wind blew worse and worse. 
Then the Duckling noticed that one of the hinges 


288 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

of the door had given way, and the door hung so 
slanting that the Duckling could slip through the 
crack into the room; and that is what it did. 

Here lived a woman, with her Cat and her Hen. 
And the Cat, whom she called Sonnie, could arch 
his back and purr, he could even give out sparks; 
but to make him do it one had to stroke his fur the 
wrong way. The Hen had quite little, short legs, 
and therefore she was called Chickabiddy Short- 
shanks. She laid good eggs, and the woman loved 
her like her own child. 

In the morning the strange Duckling was at once 
noticed, and the Cat began to purr and the Hen to 
cluck. 

“ What’s this ? ” said the woman, and looked all 
round; but she could not see well, and therefore she 
thought the Duckling was a fat duck that had 
strayed. “ This is a rare prize! ” she said. “ Now 
I shall have duck’s eggs. I hope it is not a drake. 
We must try that.” 

And so the Duckling was admitted on trial for 
three weeks; but no eggs came. And the Cat was 
master of the House, and the Hen was the lady, and 
always said, “ We and the world! ” for she thought 
they were half the world, and by far the better half. 

The Duckling thought one might have a different 
opinion, but the Hen would not allow it. 

“ Can you lay eggs ? ” she asked. 

“ No.” 

“ Then will you hold your tongue! ” 

And the Cat said, “ Can you curve your back, and 
purr, and give out sparks ? ” 

“ No.” 


The Ugly Duckling 289 

“ Then you will please have no opinion of your 
own when sensible folks are speaking.” 

And the Duckling sat in a corner and was mel¬ 
ancholy ; then the fresh air and the sunshine 
streamed in; and it was seized with such a strange 
longing to swim on the water, that it could not help 
telling the Hen of it. 

“ What are you thinking of ? ” cried the Hen. 
“ You have nothing to do, that’s why you have these 
fancies. Lay eggs, or purr, and they will pass over.” 

“ But it is so charming to swim on the water! ” 
said the Duckling, “ so refreshing to let it close 
above one’s head, and to dive down to the bottom.” 

“ Yes, that must be a mighty pleasure, truly,” 
quoth the Hen, “ I fancy you must have gone crazy. 
Ask the Cat about it—he’s the cleverest animal I 
know—ask him if he likes to swim on the water, or 
to dive down—I won’t speak about myself. Ask 
our mistress, the old woman; no one in the world is 
cleverer than she. Do you think she has any de¬ 
sire to swim, and to let the water close above her 
head?” 

“ You don’t understand me,” said the Duckling. 

“ We don’t understand you ? Then pray who is to 
understand you? You surely don’t pretend to be 
cleverer than the Cat and the woman—I won’t say 
anything of myself. Don’t be conceited, child, and 
thank your Maker for all the kindness you have re¬ 
ceived. Did you not get into a warm room, and 
have you not fallen into company from which you 
may learn something? But you are a chatterer, and 
it is not pleasant to associate with you. You may 
believe me, I speak for your good. I tell you dis- 


290 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

agreeable things, and by that one may always know 
one’s true friends! Only take care that you learn to 
lay eggs, or to purr, and give out sparks! ” 

“ I think I will go out into the wide world,” said 
the Duckling. 

“ Yes, do go,” replied the Hen. 

And so the Duckling went away. It swam on the 
water, and dived, but it was slighted by every 
creature because of its ugliness. 

Now came the autumn. The leaves in the forest 
turned yellow and brown; the wind caught them so 
that they danced about, and up in the air it was very 
cold. The clouds hung low, heavy with hail and 
snow-flakes, and on the fence stood the raven, cry¬ 
ing, “ Croak! croak! ” for mere cold; yes, it was 
enough to make one feel cold to think of this. The 
poor little Duckling certainly had not a good time. 
One evening—the sun was just setting in his beauty 
—there came a whole flock of great, handsome birds 
out of the bushes. They were dazzlingly white, with 
long, flexible necks—they were swans. They ut¬ 
tered a very peculiar cry, spread forth their glorious 
great wings, and flew away from that cold region 
to warmer lands, to fair open lakes. They mounted 
so high, so high! and the ugly Duckling felt quite 
strangely as it watched them. It turned round and 
round in the water like a wheel, stretched out its 
neck towards them, and uttered such a strange loud 
cry as frightened itself. Oh! it could not forget 
those beautiful, happy birds; and so soon as it could 
see them no longer, it dived down to the very bottom, 
and when it came up again it was quite beside itself. 
It knew not the name of those birds, and knew not 


The Ugly Duckling 


291 


whither they were flying; but it loved them more 
than it had ever loved any one. It was not at all 
envious of them. How could it think of wishing to 
possess such loveliness as they had ? It would have 
been glad if only the ducks would have endured its 
company—the poor, ugly creature! 

And the winter grew cold, very cold! The Duck¬ 
ling was forced to swim about in the water, to pre¬ 
vent the surface from freezing entirely; but every 
night the hole in which it swam about became 
smaller and smaller. It froze so hard that the icy 
covering crackled again; and the Duckling was 
obliged to use its legs continually to prevent the 
hole from freezing up. At last it became exhausted, 
and lay quite still, and thus froze fast into the ice. 

Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when 
he saw what had happened, he took his wooden 
shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the 
Duckling home to his wife. Then it came to itself 
again. The children wanted to play with it; but the 
Duckling thought they wanted to hurt it, and in its 
terror fluttered up into the milk-pan, so that the 
milk spurted down into the room. The woman 
clasped her hands, at which the Duckling flew down 
into the butter-tub, and then into the meal-barrel and 
out again. How it looked then! The woman 
screamed, and struck at it with the fire-tongs; the 
children tumbled over one another in their efforts to 
catch the Duckling; and they laughed and they 
screamed!—well it was that the door stood open, and 
the poor creature was able to slip out between the 
shrubs into the newly-fallen snow—there it lay quite 
exhausted. 


292 Fairy Talcs Every Child Should Know 

But it would be too melancholy if I were to tell all 
the misery and care which the Duckling had to en¬ 
dure in the hard winter. It lay out on the moor 
among the reeds, when the sun began to shine again 
and the larks to sing. It was a beautiful spring. 

Then all at once the Duckling could flap its wings. 
They beat the air more strongly than before, and 
bore it strongly away; and before it well knew how 
all this happened, it found itself in a great garden, 
where the elder-trees smelt sweet, and bent their 
long green branches down to the canal that wound 
through the region. Oh, here it was so beautiful, 
such a gladness of spring! and from the thicket came 
three glorious white swans; they rustled their wings, 
and swam lightly on the water. The Duckling knew 
the splendid creatures, and felt oppressed by a pe¬ 
culiar sadness. 

“ I will fly away to them, to the royal birds, and 
they will beat me, because I, that am so ugly, dare to 
come near them. But it is all the same. Better to 
be killed by them than to be pursued by ducks, and 
beaten by fowls, and pushed about by the girl who 
takes care of the poultry yard, and to suffer hunger 
in winter! ” And it flew out into the water, and 
swam towards the beautiful swans; these looked at 
it, and came sailing down upon it with outspread 
wings. “ Kill me! ” said the poor creature, and bent 
its head down upon the water, expecting nothing but 
death. But what was this that it saw in the clear 
water ? It beheld its own image; and, lo! it was no 
longer a clumsy dark-gray bird, ugly and hateful 
to look at, but a —swan! 


The Ugly Duckling 


293 


It matters nothing if one is born in a duck-yard 
if one has only lain in a swan’s egg. 

It felt quite glad at all the need and misfortune 
it had suffered, now it realised its happiness in all the 
splendour that surrounded it. And the great swans 
swam round it, and stroked it with their beaks. 

Into the garden came little children, who threw 
bread and corn into the water; and the youngest 
cried, “ There is a new one! ” and the other children 
shouted joyously, “ Yes, a new one has arrived! ” 
And they clapped their hands and danced about, and 
ran to their father and mother; and bread and cake 
were thrown into the water; and they all said, “ The 
new one is the most beautiful of all! so young and 
handsome! ” and the old swans bowed their heads 
before him. Then he felt quite ashamed, and hid his 
head under his wings, for he did not know what to 
do; he was so happy, and yet not at all proud. He 
thought how he had been persecuted and despised; 
and now he heard them saying that he was the most 
beautiful of all birds. Even the elder-tree bent its 
branches straight down into the water before him, 
and the sun shone warm and mild. Then his wings 
rustled, he lifted his slender neck, and cried rejoic¬ 
ingly from the depths of his heart: 

“ I never dreamed of so much happiness when I 
was the Ugly Duckling! ” 


CHAPTER XXIII 


THE LIGHT PRINCESS 


I 

What! No Children? 

Once upon a time, so long ago that I have quite 
forgotten the date, there lived a king and queen who 
had no children. 

And the king said to himself, “ All the queens of 
my acquaintance have children, some three, some 
seven, and some as many as twelve; and my queen 
has not one. I fell ill-used/’ So he made up his 
mind to be cross with his wife about it. But she 
bore it all like a good patient queen as she was. 
Then the king grew very cross indeed. But the 
queen pretended to take it all as a joke, and a very 
good one too. 

“ Why don’t you have any daughters, at least ? ” 
said he. “ I don’t say sons; that might be too much 
to expect.” 

“ I am sure, dear king, I am very sorry,” said the 
queen. 

“So you ought to be,” retorted the king; “you 
are not going to make a virtue of that, surely.” 


The Light Princess 


295 


But he was not an ill-tempered king, and in anv 
matter of less moment would have let the queen 
have her own way with all his heart. This, however, 
was an affair of State. 

The queen smiled. 

“ You must have patience with a lady, you know, 
dear king,” said she. 

She was, indeed, a very nice queen, and heartily 
sorry that she could not oblige the king immediately. 

The king tried to have patience, but he succeeded 
very badly. It was more than he deserved, therefore, 
when, at last, the queen gave him a daughter—as 
lovely a little princess as ever cried. 


II 

Won't /, Justf 

The day drew near when the infant must be 
christened. The king wrote all the invitations with 
his own hand. Of course somebody was forgotten. 

Now it does not generally matter if somebody is 
forgotten, only you must mind who. Unfortunately, 
the king forgot without intending to forget; and so 
the chance fell upon the Princess Makemnoit, which 
was awkward. For the princess was the king’s own 
sister; and he ought not to have forgotten her. But 
she had made herself so disagreeable to the old king, 
their father, that he had forgotten her in making 
his will; and so it was no wonder that her brother 
forgot her in writing his invitations. But poor re¬ 
lations don’t do anything to keep you in mind of 


296 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

them. Why don’t they? The king could not see 
into the garret she lived in, could he ? 

She was a sour, spiteful creature. The wrinkles 
of contempt crossed the wrinkles of peevishness, and 
made her face as full of wrinkles as a pat of butter. 
If ever a king could be justified in forgetting any¬ 
body, this king was justified in forgetting his sister, 
even at a christening. She looked very odd, too. 
Her forehead was as large as all the rest of her face, 
and projected over it like a precipice. When she 
was angry, her little eyes flashed blue. When she 
hated anybody, they shone yellow and green. What 
they looked like when she loved anybody, I do not 
know; for I never heard of her loving anybody but 
herself, and I do not think she could have man¬ 
aged that if she had not somehow got used to herself. 
But what made it highly imprudent in the king to 
forget her was—that she was awfully clever. In 
fact, she was a witch; and when she bewitched any¬ 
body, he very soon had enough of it; for she beat 
all the wicked fairies in wickedness, and all the 
clever ones in cleverness. She despised all the modes 
we read of in history, in which offended fairies and 
witches have taken their revenges; and therefore, 
after waiting and waiting in vain for an invitation, 
she made up her mind at last to go without one, and 
make the whole family miserable, like a princess as 
she was. 

So she put on her best gown, went to the palace, 
was kindly received by the happy monarch, who for¬ 
got that he had forgotten her, and took her place in 
the procession to the royal chapel. When they were 
all gathered about the font, she contrived to get next 


The Light Princess 


297 


to it, and throw something into the water; after 
which she maintained a very respectful demeanour 
till the water was applied to the child’s face. But at 
that moment she turned round in her place three 
times, and muttered the following words, loud 
enough for those beside her to hear: 

“ Light of spirit, by my charms. 

Light of body, every part. 

Never weary human arms— 

Only crush thy parents’ heart! ” 

They all thought she had lost her wits, and was 
repeating some foolish nursery rhyme; but a shud¬ 
der went through the whole of them notwithstand¬ 
ing. The baby, on the contrary, began to laugh and 
crow; while the nurse gave a start and a smothered 
cry, for, she thought she was struck with paralysis: 
she could not feel the baby in her arms. But she 
clasped it tight and said nothing. 

The mischief was done. 


Ill 

She Can’t Be Ours! 

Her atrocious aunt had deprived the child of all 
her gravity. If you ask me how this was effected, I 
answer, “ In the easiest way in the world. She 
had only to destroy gravitation.” For the princess 
was a philosopher, and knew all the ins and outs of 
the laws of gravitation as well as the ins and outs 
of her boot-lace. And being a witch as well, she 


298 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

could abrogate those laws in a moment; or at least 
so clog their wheels and rust their bearings that 
they would not work at all. But we have more to do 
with what followed than with how it was done. 

The first awkwardness that resulted from this un¬ 
happy privation was, that the moment the nurse be¬ 
gan to float the baby up and down, she flew from 
her arms towards the ceiling. Happily, the resist¬ 
ance of the air brought her ascending career to a 
close within a foot of it. There she remained, hori¬ 
zontal as when she left her nurse’s arms, kicking and 
laughing amazingly. The nurse in terror flew to the 
bell, and begged the footman, who answered it, to 
bring up the house-steps directly. Trembling in 
every limb, she climbed upon the steps, and had to 
stand upon the very top, and reach up, before she 
could catch the floating tail of the baby’s long 
clothes. 

When the strange fact came to be known, there 
was a terrible commotion in the palace. The occa¬ 
sion of its discovery by the king was naturally a 
repetition of the nurse’s experience. Astonished that 
he felt no weight when the child was laid in his 
arms, he began to wave her up and—not down; for 
she slowly ascended to the ceiling as before, and 
there remained floating in perfect comfort and satis¬ 
faction, as was testified by her peals of tiny laughter. 
The king stood staring up in speechless amazement, 
and trembled so that his beard shook like grass in the 
wind. At last, turning to the queen, who was just as 
horror-struck as himself, he said, gasping, staring, 
and stammering: 

“ She cant be ours, queen! ” 


The Light Princess 


299 


Now the queen was much cleverer than the king, 
and had begun already to suspect that “ this effect 
defective came by cause.” 

“ I am sure she is ours,” answered she. “ But we 
ought to have taken better care of her at the christ¬ 
ening. People who were never invited ought not to 
have been present.” 

“ Oh, ho! ” said the king, tapping his forehead 
with his forefinger, “ I have it all. I’ve found her 
out. Don’t you see it, queen ? Princess Makemnoit 
has bewitched her.” 

“ That’s just what I say,” answered the queen. 

“ I beg your pardon, my love; I did not hear you. 
John! bring the steps I get on my throne with.” 

For he was a little king with a great throne, like 
many other kings. 

The throne-steps were brought, and set upon the 
dining-table, and John got upon the top of them. 
But he could not reach the little princess, who lay 
like a baby-laughter-cloud in the air, exploding con¬ 
tinuously. 

“ Take the tongs, John,” said his Majesty; and 
getting up on the table, he handed them to him. 

John could reach the baby now, and the little 
princess was handed down by the tongs. 


IV 

Where Is She? 


One fine summer day, a month after these her 
first adventures, during which time she had been 


300 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

very carefully watched, the princess was lying on 
the bed in the queen’s own chamber, fast asleep. 
One of the windows was open, for it was noon, and 
the day was so sultry that the little girl was wrapped 
in nothing less ethereal than slumber itself. The 
queen came into the room, and not observing that 
the baby was on the bed, opened another window. 
A frolicsome fairy wind, which had been watching 
for a chance of mischief, rushed in at the one win¬ 
dow, and taking its way over the bed where the 
child was lying, caught her up, and rolling and float¬ 
ing her along like a piece of flue, or a dandelion seed, 
carried her with it through the opposite window, and 
away. The queen went down-stairs, quite ignorant 
of the loss she had herself occasioned. 

When the nurse returned, she supposed that her 
Majesty had carried her off, and, dreading a scold¬ 
ing, delayed making inquiry about her. But hearing 
nothing, she grew uneasy, and went at length to the 
queen’s boudoir, where she found her Majesty. 

“Please, your Majesty, shall I take the baby?” 
said she. 

“ Where is she ? ” asked the queen. 

“ Please forgive me. I know it was wrong.” 

“ What do you mean ? ” said the queen, looking 
grave. 

“ Oh! don’t frighten me, your Majesty! ” ex¬ 
claimed the nurse, clasping her hands. 

The queen saw that something was amiss, and fell 
down in a faint. The nurse rushed about the palace, 
screaming, “ My baby! my baby! ” 

Every one ran to the queen’s room. But the queen 
could give no orders. They soon found out, how- 


The Light Princess 


301 


ever, that the princess was missing, and in a moment 
the palace was like a beehive in a garden; and in one 
minute more the queen was brought to herself by a 
great shout and a clapping of hands. They had 
found the princess fast asleep under a rose-bush, to 
which the elfish little wind-puff had carried her, fin¬ 
ishing its michief by shaking a shower of red rose- 
leaves all over the little white sleeper. Startled by 
the noise the servants made, she woke, and, furious 
with glee, scattered the rose-leaves in all directions, 
like a shower of spray in the sunset. 

She was watched more carefully after this, no 
doubt; yet it would be endless to relate all the odd 
incidents resulting from this peculiarity of the young 
princess. But there never was a baby in a house, 
not to say a palace, that kept the household in such 
constant good humour, at least below-stairs. If it 
was not easy for her nurses to hold her, at least she 
made neither their arms nor their hearts ache. And 
she was so nice to play at ball with! There was 
positively no danger of letting her fall. They might 
throw her down, or knock her down, or push her 
down, but they couldn’t let her down. It is true, 
they might let her fly into the fire or the coal-hole, 
or through the window; but none of these accidents 
had happened as yet. If you heard peals of laughter 
resounding from some unknown region, you might 
be sure enough of the cause. Going down into the 
kitchen, or the room, you would find Jane and 
Thomas, and Robert and Susan, all and sum, play¬ 
ing at ball with the little princess. She was the 
ball herself, and did not enjoy it the less for that. 
Away she went, flying from one to another, screech- 


302 Fairy Talcs Every Child Should Know 

ing with laughter. And the servants loved the ball 
itself better even than the game. But they had to 
take some care how they threw her, for if she re¬ 
ceived an upward direction, she would never come 
down again without being fetched. 


V 

What Is to Be Done? 

But above-stairs it was different. One day, for 
instance, after breakfast, the king went into his 
counting-house, and counted out his money. 

The operation gave him no pleasure. 

“ To think,” said he to himself, “ that every one of 
these gold sovereigns weighs a quarter of an ounce, 
and my real, live, flesh-and-blood princess weighs 
nothing at all! ” 

And he hated his gold sovereigns, as they lay with 
a broad smile of self-satisfaction all over their yel¬ 
low faces. 

The queen was in the parlour, eating bread and 
honey. But at the second mouthful she burst out 
crying, and could not swallow it. The king heard 
her sobbing. Glad of anybody, but especially of his 
queen, to quarrel with, he clashed his gold sovereigns 
into his money-box, clapped his crown on his head, 
and rushed into the parlour. 

“ What is all this about ? ” exclaimed he. “ What 
are you crying for, queen ? ” 

“ I can’t eat it,” said the queen, looking ruefully at 
the honey-pot. 


The Light Princess 


303 


“ No wonder!” retorted the king. “ You’ve just 
eaten your breakfast—two turkey eggs, and three 
anchovies.” 

“ Oh, that’s not it! ” sobbed her Majesty. “ It’s 
my child, my child! ” 

“ Well, what’s the matter with your child? She’s 
neither up the chimney nor down the draw-well. 
Just hear her laughing.” 

Yet the king could not help a sigh, which he tried 
to turn into a cough, saying: 

“ It is a good thing to be light-hearted, I am sure, 
whether she be ours or not.” 

“ It is a bad thing to be light-headed,” answered 
the queen, looking with prophetic soul far into the 
future. 

“ ’T is a good thing to be light-handed,” said the 
king. 

“ ’T is a bad thing to be light-fingered,” answered 
the queen. 

“ ’T is a good thing to be light-footed,” said the 
king. 

“ ’T is a bad thing— ” began the queen; but the 
king interrupted her. 

“ In fact,” said he, with the tone of one who con¬ 
cludes an argument in which he has had only imag¬ 
inary opponents, and in which, therefore, he has 
come off triumphant—“ in fact, it is a good thing 
altogether to be light-bodied.” 

“ But it is a bad thing altogether to be light- 
minded,” retorted the queen, who was beginning to 
lose her temper. 

This last answer quite discomfited his Majesty, 
who turned on his heel, and betook himself to his 


304 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

counting-house again. But he was not half-way 
towards it, when the voice of his queen overtook 
him. 

“ And it’s a bad thing to be light-haired/’ 
screamed she, determined to have more last words, 
now that her spirit was roused. 

The queen’s hair was black as night; and the 
king’s had been, and his daughter’s was, golden as 
morning. But it was not this reflection on his hair 
that arrested him; it was the double use of the word 
light . For the king hated all witticisms, and pun¬ 
ning especially. And besides, he could not tell 
whether the queen meant \ight-haired or light- 
heired; for why might she not aspirate her vowels 
when she was exasperated herself ? 

He turned upon his other heel, and rejoined her. 
She looked angry still, because she knew that she 
was guilty, or, what was much the same, knew that 
he thought so. 

“ My dear queen,” said he, “ duplicity of any sort 
is exceedingly objectionable between married people 
of*any rank, not to say kings and queens; and the 
most objectionable form duplicity can assume is that 
of punning.” 

“ There! ” said the queen, “ I never made a jest, 
but I broke it in the making. I am the most un¬ 
fortunate woman in the world! ” 

She looked so rueful that the king took her in his 
arms; and they sat down to consult. 

“ Can you bear this ? ” said the king. 

“ No, I can’t,” said the queen. 

“ Well, what’s to be done ? ” said the king. 


The Light Princess 


305 


“ Fm sure I don’t know,” said the queen. “ But 
might you not try an apology ? ” 

“ To my old sister, I suppose you mean ? ” said the 
king. 

“ Yes,” said the queen. 

“ Well, I don’t mind,” said the king. 

So he went the next morning to the house of the 
princess, and, making a very humble apology, 
begged her to undo the spell. But the princess de¬ 
clared, with a grave face, that she knew nothing at 
all about it. Her eyes, however, shone pink, which 
was a sign that she was happy. She advised the 
king and queen to have patience, and to mend their 
ways. The king returned disconsolate. The queen 
tried to comfort him. 

“ We will wait till she is older. She may then 
be able to suggest something herself. She will know 
at least how she feels, and explain things to us.” 

“ But what if she should marry ? ” exclaimed the 
king, in sudden consternation at the idea. 

“ Well, what of that? ” rejoined the queen. 

“ Just think! If she were to have children! In 
the course of a hundred years the air might be as 
full of floating children as of gossamers in autumn.” 

“ That is no business of ours,” replied the queen. 
“ Besides, by that time they will have learned to take 
care of themselves.” 

A sigh was the king’s only answer. 

He would have consulted the court physicians; 
but he was afraid they would try experiments upon 
her. 


306 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 


VI 

She Laughs Too Much 

Meantime, notwithstanding awkward occurrences, 
and griefs that she brought upon her parents, the 
little princess laughed and grew—not fat, but plump 
and tall. She reached the age of seventeen, without 
having fallen into any worse scrape than a chimney; 
by rescuing her from which, a little bird-nesting 
urchin got fame and a black face. Nor, thoughtless 
as she was, had she committed anything worse than 
laughter at everybody and everything that came in 
her way. When she was told, for the sake of experi¬ 
ment, that General Clanrunfort was cut to pieces with 
all his troops, she laughed; when she heard that the 
enemy was on his way to besiege her father’s capital, 
she laughed hugely; but when she was told that the 
city would certainly be abandoned to the mercy of 
the enemy’s soldiery—why, then she laughed im¬ 
moderately. She never could be brought to see the 
serious side of anything. When her mother cried, 
she said: 

“ What queer faces mamma makes! And she 
squeezes water out of her cheeks! Funny mamma! ” 

And when her papa stormed at her, she laughed, 
and danced round and round him, clapping her 
hands, and crying: 

“ Do it again, papa. Do it again! It’s such fun! 
Dear, funny papa! ” 

And if he tried to catch her, she glided from him 
in an instant, not in the least afraid of him, but 


The Light Princess 


3°7 


thinking it part of the game not to be caught. With 
one push of her foot, she would be floating in the air 
above his head; or she would go dancing backwards 
and forwards and sideways, like a great butterfly. 
It happened several times, when her father and 
mother were holding a consultation about her in pri¬ 
vate, that they were interrupted by vainly repressed 
outbursts of laughter over their heads; and look¬ 
ing up with indignation, saw her floating at full 
length in the air above them, whence she regarded 
them with the most comical appreciation of the posi¬ 
tion. 

One day an awkward accident happened. The 
princess had come out upon the lawn with one of 
her attendants, who held her by the hand. Spying 
her father at the other side of the lawn, she snatched 
her hand from the maid’s, and sped across to him. 
Now when she wanted to run alone, her custom was 
to catch up a stone in each hand, so that she might 
come down again after a bound. Whatever she 
wore as part of her attire had no effect in this way. 
Even gold, when it thus became as it were a part 
of herself, lost all its weight for the time. But 
whatever she only held in her hands retained its 
downward tendency. On this occasion she could 
see nothing to catch up but a huge toad, that was 
walking across the lawn as if he had a hundred 
years to do it in. Not knowing what disgust meant, 
for this was one of her peculiarities, she snatched 
up the toad and bounded away. She had almost 
reached her father, and he was holding out his arms 
to receive her, and take from her lips the kiss which 
hovered on them like a butterfly on a rosebud, when 


308 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

a puff of wind blew her aside into the arms of a 
young page, who had just been receiving a message 
from his Majesty. Now it was no great peculiarity 
in the princess that, once she was set agoing, it al¬ 
ways cost her time and trouble to check herself. On 
this occasion there was no time. She must kiss— 
and she kissed the page. She did not mind it much; 
for she had no shyness in her composition; and she 
knew, besides, that she could not help it. So she 
only laughed, like a musical box. The poor page 
fared the worst. For the princess, trying to correct 
the unfortunate tendency of the kiss, put out her 
hands to keep off the page; so that, along with the 
kiss, he received, on the other cheek, a slap with the 
huge black toad, which she poked right into his eye. 
He tried to laugh, too, but the attempt resulted in 
such an odd contortion of countenance, as showed 
that there was no danger of his pluming himself 
on the kiss. As for the king, his dignity was greatly 
hurt, and he did not speak to the page for a whole 
month. 

I may here remark that it was very amusing to see 
her run, if her mode of progression could properly 
be called running. For first she would make a 
bound; then, having alighted, she would run a few 
steps, and make another bound. Sometimes she 
would fancy she had reached the ground before she 
actually had, and her feet would go backwards and 
forwards, running upon nothing at all, like those of 
a chicken on its back. Then she would laugh like 
the very spirit of fun; only in her laugh there was 
something missing. What it was, I find myself un¬ 
able to describe. I think it was a certain tone, de- 


The Light Princess 


309 


pending upon the possibility of sorrow— morhidezza, 
perhaps. She never smiled. 


VII 

Try Metaphysics 

After a long avoidance of the painful subject, 
the king and queen resolved to hold a council of 
three upon it; and so they sent for the princess. In 
she came, sliding and flitting and gliding from one 
piece of furniture to another, and put herself at 
last in an arm-chair, in a sitting posture. Whether 
she could be said to sit , seeing she received no sup¬ 
port from the seat of the chair, I do not pretend to 
determine. 

“ My dear child,” said the king, “ you must be 
aware by this time that you are not exactly like other 
people.” 

“ Oh, you dear funny papa! I have got a nose, 
and two eyes, and all the rest. So have you. So 
has mamma.” 

“ Now be serious, my dear, for once,” said the 
queen. 

“ No, thank you, mamma; I had rather not.” 

“ Would you not like to be able to walk like 
other people ? ” said the king. 

“ No indeed, I should think not. You only crawl. 
You are such slow coaches! ” 

“ How do you feel, my child ? ” he resumed, after 
a pause of discomfiture. 

“ Quite well, thank you,” 


310 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

“ I mean, what do you feel like ? ” 

“ Like nothing at all, that I know of.” 

“ You must feel like something.” 

“ I feel like a princess with such a funny papa, 
and such a dear pet of a queen-mamma! ” 

“ Now really! ” began the queen; but the princess 
interrupted her. 

“ Oh, yes,” she added, “ I remember. I have a 
curious feeling sometimes, as if I were the only 
person that had any sense in the whole world.” 

She had been trying to behave herself with dig¬ 
nity ; but now she burst into a violent fit of laughter, 
threw herself backwards over the chair, and went 
rolling about the floor in an ecstasy of enjoyment. 
The king picked her up easier than one does a down 
quilt, and replaced her in her former relation to the 
chair. The exact preposition expressing this rela¬ 
tion I do not happen to know. 

“ Is there nothing you wish for ? ” resumed the 
king, who had learned by this time that it was use¬ 
less to be angry with her. 

“ Oh, you dear papa!—yes,” answered she. 

“ What is it, my darling ? ” 

“ I have been longing for it—oh, such a time!— 
ever since last night.” 

“ Tell me what it is.” 

“ Will you promise to let me have it ? ” 

The king was on the point of saying yes, but the 
wiser queen checked him with a single motion of her 
head. 

“ Tell me what it is first,” said he. 

“ No, no. Promise first.” 

“ I dare not. What is it ? ” 


The Light Princess 311 

“ Mind, I hold you to your promise. It is—to be 
tied to the end of a string—a very long string in¬ 
deed, and be flown like a kite. Oh, such fun! I 
would rain rose-water, and hail sugar-plums, and 
snow whipped-cream, and—and—and— ” 

A fit of laughing checked her; and she would 
have been off again over the floor, had not the king 
started up and caught her just in time. Seeing that 
nothing but talk could be got out of her, he rang 
the bell, and sent her away with two of her ladies-in¬ 
waiting. 

“ Now, queen/’ he said, turning to her Majesty, 
“ what is to be done ? ” 

“ There is but one thing left,” answered she. 
“ Let us consult the college of Metaphysicians.” 

“ Bravo! ” cried the king; “ we will.” 

Now at the head of this college were two very 
wise Chinese philosophers—by name Hum-Drum, 
and Kopy-Keck. For them the king sent; and 
straightway they came. In a long speech he com¬ 
municated to them what they knew very well al¬ 
ready—as who did not?—namely, the peculiar con¬ 
dition of his daughter in relation to the globe on 
which she dwelt; and requested them to consult to¬ 
gether as to what might be the cause and probable 
cure of her infirmity. The king laid stress upon 
the word, but failed to discover his own pun. The 
queen laughed; but Hum-Drum and Kopy-Keck 
heard with humility and retired in silence. 

Their consultation consisted chiefly in propound¬ 
ing and supporting, for the thousandth time, each 
his favourite theories. For the condition of the 
princess afforded delightful scope for the discussion 


312 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

of every question arising from the division of 
thought—in fact, of all the Metaphysics of the Chi¬ 
nese Empire. But it is only justice to say that they 
did not altogether neglect the discussion of the 
practical question, what was to be done. 

Hum-Drum was a Materialist, and Kopy-Keck 
was a Spiritualist. The former was slow and sen¬ 
tentious ; the latter was quick and flighty; the latter 
had generally the first word; the former the last. 

“ I reassert my former assertion,” began Kopy- 
Keck, with a plunge. “ There is not a fault in the 
princess, body or soul; only they are wrong put to¬ 
gether. Listen to me now, Hum-Drum, and I will 
tell you in brief what I think. Don’t speak. Don’t 
answer me. I won't hear you till I have done. At 
that decisive moment, when souls seek their ap¬ 
pointed habitations, two eager souls met, struck, re¬ 
bounded, lost their way, and arrived each at the 
wrong place. The soul of the princess was one of 
those, and she went far astray. She does not be¬ 
long by rights to this world at all, but to some other 
planet, probably Mercury. Her proclivity to her 
true sphere destroys all the natural influence which 
this orb would otherwise possess over her corporeal 
frame. She cares for nothing here. There is no 
relation between her and this world. 

“ She must therefore be taught, by the sternest 
compulsion, to take an interest in the earth as the 
earth. She must study every department of its his¬ 
tory—its animal history, its vegetable history, its 
mineral history, its social history, its moral history, 
its political history, its scientific history, its literary 
history, its musical history, its artistical history, 


The Light Princess 


3i3 


above all, its metaphysical history. She must begin 
with the Chinese dynasty and end with Japan. But 
first of all she must study geology, and especially 
the history of the extinct races of animals—their 
natures, their habits, their loves, their hates, their 
revenges. She must-” 

“ Hold, h-o-o-old! ” roared Hum-Drum. “ It is 
certainly my turn now. My rooted and insubverti- 
ble conviction is, that the causes of the anomalies 
evident in the princess’s condition are strictly and 
solely physical. But that is only tantamount to ac¬ 
knowledging that they exist. Hear my opinion. 
From some cause or other, of no importance to our 
inquiry, the motion of her heart has been reversed. 
That remarkable combination of the suction and the 
force-pump works the wrong way—I mean in the 
case of the unfortunate princess, it draws in where 
it should force out, and forces out where it should 
draw in. The offices of the auricles and the ventri¬ 
cles are subverted. The blood is sent forth by the 
veins, and returns by the arteries. Consequently it 
is running the wrong way through all her corporeal 
organism—lungs and all. Is it then at all mysteri¬ 
ous, seeing that such is the case, that on the other 
particular of gravitation as well, she should differ 
from normal humanity? My proposal for the cure 
is this: 

“ Phlebotomise until she is reduced to the last 
point of safety. Let it be effected, if necessary, in 
a warm bath. When she is reduced to a state of 
perfect asphyxy, apply a ligature to the left ankle, 
drawing it as tight as the bone will bear. Apply, 
at the same moment, another of equal tension around 



314 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

the right wrist. By means of plates constructed for 
the purpose, place the other foot and hand under 
the receivers of two air-pumps. Exhaust the re¬ 
ceivers. Exhibit a pint of French brandy, and await 
the result.” 

“ Which would presently arrive in the form of 
grim Death,” said Kopy-Keck. 

“ If it should, she would yet die in doing our 
duty,” retorted Hum-Drum. 

But their Majesties had too much tenderness for 
their volatile offspring to subject her to either of the 
schemes of the equally unscrupulous philosophers. 
Indeed, the most complete knowledge of the laws 
of nature would have been unserviceable in her case; 
for it was impossible to classify her. She was a 
fifth imponderable body, sharing all the other prop¬ 
erties of the ponderable. 


VIII 

Try a Drop of Water 

Perhaps the best thing for the princess would 
have been to fall in love. But how a princess who 
had no gravity could fall into anything is a diffi¬ 
culty—perhaps the difficulty. As for her own feel¬ 
ings on the subject, she did not even know that there 
was such a beehive of honey and stings to be fallen 
into. But now I come to mention another curious 
fact about her. 

The palace was built on the shores of the loveliest 
lake in the world; and the princess loved this lake 


The Light Princess 


3 i 5 


more than father or mother. The root of this prefer¬ 
ence no doubt, although the princess did not recog¬ 
nise it as such, was, that the moment she got into it, 
she recovered the natural right of which she had been 
so wickedly deprived—namely, gravity. Whether 
this was owing to the fact that water had been em¬ 
ployed as the means of conveying the injury, I do 
not know. But it is certain that she could swim and 
dive like the duck that her old nurse said she was. 
The manner in which this alleviation of her misfor¬ 
tune was discovered was as follows: 

One summer evening, during the carnival of the 
country, she had been taken upon the lake by the 
king and queen, in the royal barge. They were ac¬ 
companied by many of the courtiers in a fleet of lit¬ 
tle boats. In the middle of the lake she wanted to 
get into the lord chancellor’s barge, for his daughter, 
who was a great favourite with her, was in it with 
her father. Now though the old king rarely con¬ 
descended to make light of his misfortune, yet, hap¬ 
pening on this occasion to be in a particularly good 
humour, as the barges approached each other, he 
caught up the princess to throw her into the chan¬ 
cellor’s barge. He lost his balance, however, and, 
dropping into the bottom of the barge, lost his hold 
of his daughter; not, however, before imparting to 
her the downward tendency of his own person, 
though in a somewhat different direction, for, as the 
king fell into the boat, she fell into the water. With 
a burst of delighted laughter she disappeared into 
the lake. A cry of horror ascended from the boats. 
They had never seen the princess go down before. 
Half the men were under water in a moment; but 


316 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

they had all, one after another, come up to the sur¬ 
face again for breath, when—tinkle, tinkle, babble, 
and gush! came the princess’s laugh over the water 
from far away. There she was, swimming like a 
swan. Nor would she come out for king or queen, 
chancellor or daughter. She was perfectly obstinate. 

But at the same time she seemed more sedate than 
usual. Perhaps that was because a great pleasure 
spoils laughing. At all events, after this, the pas¬ 
sion of her life was to get into the water, and she 
was always the better behaved and the more beauti¬ 
ful the more she had of it. Summer and winter it 
was quite the same; only she could not stay so long 
in the water when they had to break the ice to let 
her in. Any day, from morning to evening in sum¬ 
mer, she might be descried—a streak of white in the 
blue water—lying as still as the shadow of a cloud, 
or shooting along like a dolphin; disappearing, and 
coming up again far off, just where one did not ex¬ 
pect her. She would have been in the lake of a 
night too, if she could have had her way; for the 
balcony of her window overhung a deep pool in it; 
and through a shallow reedy passage she could have 
swum out into the wide wet water, and no one would 
have been any the wiser. Indeed, when she hap¬ 
pened to wake in the moonlight she could hardly 
resist the temptation. But there was the sad diffi¬ 
culty of getting into it. She had as great a dread 
of the air as some children have of the water. For 
the slightest gust of wind would blow her away; 
and a gust might arise in the stillest moment. And 
if she gave herself a push towards the water and 
just failed of reaching it, her situation would be 


The Light Princess 


3 i 7 


dreadfully awkward, irrespective of the wind; for 
at best there she would have to remain, suspended in 
her night-gown, till she was seen and angled for by 
somebody from the window. 

“ Oh! if I had my gravity,” thought she, contem¬ 
plating the water, “ I would flash off this balcony 
like a long white sea-bird, headlong into the darling 
wetness. Heigh-ho! ” 

This was the only consideration that made her 
wish to be like other people. 

Another reason for her being fond of the water 
was that in it alone she enjoyed any freedom. For 
she could not walk without a cortege, consisting in 
part of a troop of light-horse, for fear of the liberties 
which the wind might take with her. And the king 
grew more apprehensive with increasing years, till 
at last he would not allow her to walk abroad at 
all without some twenty silken cords fastened to as 
many parts of her dress, and held by twenty noble¬ 
men. Of course horseback was out of the question. 
But she bade good-bye to all this ceremony when 
she got into the water. 

And so remarkable were its effects upon her, es¬ 
pecially in restoring her for the time to the ordinary 
human gravity, that Hum-Drum and Kopy-Keck 
agreed in recommending the king to bury her alive 
for three years; in the hope that, as the water did 
her so much good, the earth would do her yet more. 
But the king had some vulgar prejudices against 
the experiment, and would not give his consent. 
Foiled in this, they yet agreed in another recommen¬ 
dation; which, seeing that one imported his opin¬ 
ions from China and the other from Thibet, was 


318 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

very remarkable indeed. They argued that, if water 
of external origin and application could be so effica¬ 
cious, water from a deeper source might work a per¬ 
fect cure; in short, that if the poor afflicted princess 
could by any means be made to cry, she might re¬ 
cover her lost gravity. 

But how was this to be brought about? Therein 
lay all the difficulty—to meet which the philosophers 
were not wise enough. To make the princess cry 
was as impossible as to make her weigh. They sent 
for a professional beggar, commanded him to pre¬ 
pare his most touching oracle of woe, helped him 
out of the court charade box to whatever he wanted 
for dressing up, and promised great rewards in the 
event of his success. But it was all in vain. She 
listened to the mendicant artist’s story, and gazed at 
his marvellous make up, till she could contain herself 
no longer, and went into the most undignified con¬ 
tortions for relief, shrieking, positively screeching 
with laughter. 

When she had a little recovered herself, she or¬ 
dered her attendants to drive him away, and not 
give him a single copper; whereupon his look of 
mortified discomfiture wrought her punishment and 
his revenge, for it sent her into violent hysterics, 
from which she was with difficulty recovered. 

But so anxious was the king that the suggestion 
should have a fair trial, that he put himself in a 
rage one day, and, rushing up to her room, gave her 
an awful whipping. Yet not a tear would flow. She 
looked grave, and her laughing sounded uncom¬ 
monly like screaming—that was all. The good old 
tyrant, though he put on his best gold spectacles to 


The Light Princess 


3i9 


look, could not discover the smallest cloud in the 
serene blue of her eyes. 


IX 

Put Me in Again! 

It must have been about this time that the son of 
a king, who lived a thousand miles from Lagobel, 
set out to look for the daughter of a queen. He 
travelled far and wide, but as sure as he found a 
princess, he found some fault with her. Of course 
he could not marry a mere woman, however beauti¬ 
ful; and there was no princess to be found worthy 
of him. Whether the prince was so near perfec¬ 
tion that he had a right to demand perfection itself, 
I cannot pretend to say. All I know is, that he was 
a fine, handsome, brave, generous, well-bred, and 
well-behaved youth, as all princes are. 

In his wanderings he had come across some re¬ 
ports about our princess; but as everybody said she 
was bewitched, he never dreamed that she could be¬ 
witch him. For what indeed could a prince do with 
a princess that had lost her gravity? Who could 
tell what she might not lose next? She might lose 
her visibility, or her tangibility; or, in short, the 
power of making impressions upon the radical senso- 
rium; so that he should never be able to tell whether 
she was dead or alive. Of course he made no fur¬ 
ther inquiries about her. 

One day he lost sight of his retinue in a great for¬ 
est. These forests are very useful in delivering 


320 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

princes from their courtiers, like a sieve that keeps 
back the bran. Then the princes get away to follow 
their fortunes. In this way they have the advantage 
of the princesses, who are forced to marry before 
they have had a bit of fun. I wish our princesses 
got lost in a forest sometimes. 

One lovely evening, after wandering about for 
many days, he found that he was approaching the 
outskirts of this forest; for the trees had got so 
thin that he could see the sunset through them; and 
he soon came upon a kind of heath. Next he came 
upon signs of human neighbourhood; but by this 
time it was getting late, and there was nobody in the 
fields to direct him. 

After travelling for another hour, his horse, quite 
worn out with long labour and lack of food, fell, and 
was unable to rise again. So he continued his jour¬ 
ney on foot. A length he entered another wood— 
not a wild forest, but a civilised wood, through 
which a footpath led him to the side of a lake. 
Along this path the prince pursued his way through 
the gathering darkness. Suddenly he paused, and 
listened. Strange sounds came across the water. 
It was, in fact, the princess laughing. Now there 
was something odd in her laugh, as I have already 
hinted; for the hatching of a real hearty laugh re¬ 
quires the incubation of gravity; and perhaps this 
was how the prince mistook the laughter for scream¬ 
ing. Looking over the lake, he saw something 
white in the water; and, in an instant, he had torn 
off his tunic, kicked off his sandals, and plunged in. 
He soon reached the white object, and found that it 
was a woman. There was not light enough to show 


The Light Princess 


321 


that she was a princess, but quite enough to show 
that she was a lady, for it does not want much light 
to see that. 

Now I cannot tell how it came about—whether 
she pretended to be drowning, or whether he fright¬ 
ened her, or caught her so as to embarrass her—but 
certainly he brought her to shore in a fashion igno¬ 
minious to a swimmer, and more nearly drowned 
than she had ever expected to be; for the water had 
got into her throat as often as she had tried to speak. 

At the place to which he bore her, the bank was 
only a foot or two above the water; so he gave her 
a strong lift out of the water, to lay her on the 
bank. But, her gravitation ceasing the moment she 
left the water, away she went up into the air, scold¬ 
ing and screaming. 

“ You naughty, naughty , naughty, NAUGHTY 
man ! ” she cried. 

No one had ever succeeded in putting her into 
a passion before. When the prince saw her ascend, 
he thought he must have been bewitched, and have 
mistaken a great swan for a lady. But the princess 
caught hold of the topmost cone upon a lofty fir. 
This came off; but she caught at another; and, in 
fact, stopped herself by gathering cones, dropping 
them as the stalks gave way. The prince, mean¬ 
time, stood in the water, staring, and forgetting to 
get out. But the princess disappearing, he scram¬ 
bled on shore, and went in the direction of the tree. 
There he found her climbing down one of the 
branches towards the stem. But in the darkness of 
the wood, the prince continued in some bewilder¬ 
ment as to what the phenomenon could be; until. 


322 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

reaching the ground, and seeing him standing there, 
she caught hold of him, and said: 

“ I’ll tell papa.” 

“ Oh no, you won't! ” returned the prince. 

“ Yes, I will,” she persisted. “ What business 
had you to pull me down out of the water, and 
throw me to the bottom of the air ? I never did you 
any harm.” 

“ Pardon me. I did not mean to hurt you.” 

“ I don’t believe you have any brains; and that is 
a worse loss than your wretched gravity. I pity 
you.” 

The prince now saw that he had come upon the 
bewitched princess, and had already offended her. 
But before he could think what to say next, she 
burst out angrily, giving a stamp with her foot that 
would have sent her aloft again but for the hold she 
had of his arm: 

“ Put me up directly.” 

“ Put you up where, you beauty ? ” asked the 
prince. 

He had fallen in love with her almost, already; 
for her anger made her more charming than any one 
else had ever beheld her; and, as far as he could see, 
which certainly was not far, she had not a single 
fault about her, except, of course, that she had not 
any gravity. No prince, however, would judge of a 
princess by weight. The loveliness of her foot he 
would hardly estimate by the depth of the impres¬ 
sion it could make in mud. 

“ Put you up where, you beauty ? ” asked the 
prince. 

“ In the water, you stupid! ” answered the prin¬ 
cess. 


The Light Princess 323 

“ Come, then,” said the prince. 

The condition of her dress, increasing her usual 
difficulty in walking, compelled her to cling to him; 
and he could hardly persuade himself that he was 
not in a delightful dream, notwithstanding the tor¬ 
rent of musical abuse with which she overwhelmed 
him. The prince being therefore in no hurry, they 
came upon the lake at quite another part, where the 
bank was twenty-five feet high at least; and when 
they had reached the edge, he turned towards the 
princess, and said: 

“ How am I to put you in ? ” 

“ That is your business,” she answered, quite 
snappishly. “ You took me out—put me in again.” 

“ Very well;” said the prince; and, catching her 
up in his arms, he sprang with her from the rock. 
The princess had just time to give one delighted 
shriek of laughter before the water closed over them. 
When they came to the surface, she found that, for 
a moment or two, she could not even laugh, for she 
had gone down with such a rush, that it was with 
difficulty she recovered her breath. The instant they 
reached the surface— 

“ How do you like falling in ? ” said the prince. 

After some effort the princess panted out: 

“ Is that what you call falling in? ” 

“ Yes,” answered the prince, “ I should think it a 
very tolerable specimen.” 

“ It seemed to me like going up,” rejoined she. 

“ My feeling was certainly one of elevation too,” 
the prince conceded. 

The princess did not appear to understand him, 
for she retorted his question: 


324 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

“ How do you like falling in ? ” said the princess. 

“ Beyond everything,” answered he; “ for I have 
fallen in with the only perfect creature I ever saw.” 

“ No more of that. I am tired of it,” said the 
princess. 

Perhaps she shared her father’s aversion to pun¬ 
ning. 

“ Don’t you like falling in, then ? ” said the prince. 

“ It is the most delightful fun I ever had in my 
life,” answered she. “ I never fell before. I wish 
I could learn. To think I am the only person in 
my father’s kingdom that can’t fall! ” 

Here the poor princess looked almost sad. 

“ I shall be most happy to fall in with you any 
time you like,” said the prince, devotedly. 

“ Thank you. I don’t know. Perhaps it would 
not be proper. But I don’t care. At all events, as 
we have fallen in, let us have a swim together.” 

“ With all my heart,” responded the prince. 

And away they went, swimming, and diving, and 
floating, until at last they heard cries along the 
shore, and saw lights glancing in all directions. It 
was now quite late, and there was no moon. 

“ I must go home,” said the princess. “ I am very 
sorry, for this is delightful.” 

“ So am I,” returned the prince. “ But I am glad 
I haven’t a home to go to—at least, I don’t exactly 
know where it is.” 

“ I wish I hadn’t one either,” rejoined the prin¬ 
cess ; “ it is so stupid! I have a great mind,” she 
continued, “ to play them all a trick. Why couldn’t 
they leave me alone? They won’t trust me in the 
lake for a single night! You see where that green 


The Light Princess 


325 

light is burning? That is the window of my room. 
Now if you would just swim there with me very 
quietly, and when we are all but under the balcony, 
give me such a push —up you call it—as you did a 
little while ago, I should be able to catch hold of the 
balcony, and get in at the window; and then they 
may look for me till to-morrow morning! ” 

“ With more obedience than pleasure,” said the 
prince, gallantly; and away they swam, very gently. 

“ Will you be in the lake to-morrow night? ” the 
prince ventured to ask. 

“ To be sure I will. I don’t think so. Perhaps,” 
was the princess’s somewhat strange answer. 

But the prince was intelligent enough not to press 
her further; and merely whispered, as he gave her 
the parting lift, “ Don’t tell.” The only answer the 
princess returned was a roguish look. She was 
already a yard above his head. The look seemed to 
say, “ Never fear. It is too good fun to spoil that 
way.” 

So perfectly like other people had she been in the 
water, that even yet the prince could scarcely be¬ 
lieve his eyes when he saw her ascend slowly, grasp 
the balcony, and disappear through the window. He 
turned, almost expecting to see her still by his side. 
But he was alone in the water. So he swam away 
quietly, and watched the lights roving about the 
shore for hours after the princess was safe in her 
chamber. As soon as they disappeared, he landed 
in search of his tunic and sword, and, after some 
trouble, found them again. Then he made the best 
of his way round the lake to the other side. There 
the wood was wilder, and the shore steeper—rising 


326 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

more immediately towards the mountains which sur¬ 
rounded the lake on all sides, and kept sending it 
messages of silvery streams from morning to night, 
and all night long. He soon found a spot where 
he could see the green light in the princess’s room, 
and where, even in the broad daylight, he would be 
in no danger of being discovered from the opposite 
shore. It was a sort of cave in the rock, where he 
provided himself a bed of withered leaves, and lay 
down too tired for hunger to keep him awake. All 
night long he dreamed that he was swimming with 
the princess. 


X 

Look at the Moon 

Early the next morning the prince set out to look 
for something to eat, which he soon found at a 
forester’s hut, where for many following days he 
was supplied with all that a brave prince could con¬ 
sider necessary. And having plenty to keep him 
alive for the present, he would not think of wants 
not yet in existence. Whenever Care intruded, this 
prince always bowed him out in the most princely 
manner. 

When he returned from his breakfast to his 
watch-cave, he saw the princess already floating 
about in the lake, attended by the king and queen— 
whom he knew by their crowns—and a great com¬ 
pany in lovely little boats, with canopies of all the 
colours of the rainbow, and flags and streamers of a 
great many more. It was a very bright day, and 
soon the prince, burned up with the heat, began to 


The Light Princess 327 

long for the cold water and the cool princess. But 
he had to endure till twilight; for the boats had 
provisions on board, and it was not till the sun went 
down that the gay party began to vanish. Boat after 
boat drew away to the shore, following that of the 
king and queen, till only one, apparently the prin¬ 
cess’s own boat, remained. But she did not want 
to go home even yet, and the prince thought he saw 
her order the boat to the shore without her. At all 
events it rowed away; and now, of all the radiant 
company, only one white speck remained. Then 
the prince began to sing. 

And this is what he sung: 

“ Lady fair. 

Swan-white, 

Lift thine eyes. 

Banish night 
By the might 
Of thine eyes. 

“ Snowy arms, 

Oars of snow, 

Oar her hither, 

Plashing low. 

Soft and slow, 

Oar her hither. 

“ Stream behind her 
O’er the lake, 

Radiant whiteness! 

In her wake 

Following, following, for her sake, 
Radiant whiteness! 


328 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

“ Cling about her. 

Waters blue; 

Part not from her, 

But renew 
Cold and true 
Kisses round her. 

“ Lap me round, 

Waters sad 
That have left her 
Make me glad, 

For ye had 

Kissed her ere ye left her.” 

Before he had finished his song, the princess was 
just under the place where he sat, and looking up to 
find him. Her ears had led her truly. 

“ Would you like a fall, princess ? ” said the 
prince, looking down. 

“ Ah! there you are! Yes, if you please, prince,” 
said the princess, looking up. 

“ How do you know I am a prince, princess ? ” 
said the prince. 

“ Because you are a very nice young man, prince,” 
said the princess. 

“ Come up then, princess.” 

“ Fetch me, prince.” 

The prince took off his scarf, then his swordbelt, 
then his tunic, and tied them all together, and let 
them down. But the line was far too short. He 
unwound his turban, and added it to the rest, when it 
was all but long enough; and his purse completed it. 
The princess just managed to lay hold of the knot 


The Light Princess 329 

of money, and was beside him in a moment. This 
rock was much higher than the other, and the splash 
and the dive were tremendous. The princess was 
in ecstasies of delight, and their swim was delicious. 

Night after night they met, and swam about in 
the dark clear lake, where such was the prince’s 
gladness, that (whether the princess’s way of look¬ 
ing at things infected him, or he was actually getting 
light-headed) he often fancied that he was swim¬ 
ming in the sky instead of the lake. But when he 
talked about being in heaven, the princess laughed 
at him dreadfully. 

When the moon came, she brought them fresh 
pleasure. Everything looked strange and new in her 
light, with an old, withered, yet unfading newness. 
When the moon was nearly full, one of their great 
delights was to dive deep in the water, and then, 
turning round, look up through it at the great blot 
of light close above them, shimmering and trembling 
and wavering, spreading and contracting, seeming 
to melt away, and again grow solid. Then they 
would shoot up through the blot, and lo! there was 
the moon, far off, clear and steady and cold, and 
very lovely, at the bottom of a deeper and bluer lake 
than theirs, as the princess said. 

The prince soon found out that while in the water 
the princess was very like other people. And be¬ 
sides this, she was not so forward in her questions 
or pert in her replies at sea as on shore. Neither 
did she laugh so much; and when she did laugh, it 
was more gently. She seemed altogether more 
modest and maidenly in the water than out of it. 
But when the prince, who had really fallen in love 


33° Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

when he fell in the lake, began to talk to her about 
love, she always turned her head towards him and 
laughed. After a while she began to look puzzled, 
as if she were trying to understand what he meant, 
but could not—revealing a notion that he meant 
something. But as soon as ever she left the lake, 
she was so altered, that the prince said to himself, 
“ If I marry her, I see no help for it: we must turn 
merman and mermaid, and go out to sea at once.” 

XI 

Hiss! 

The princess’s pleasure in the lake had grown to 
a passion, and she could scarcely bear to be out of it 
for an hour. Imagine then her consternation, when, 
diving with the prince one night, a sudden suspicion 
seized her that the lake was not so deep as it used to 
be. The prince could not imagine what had hap¬ 
pened. She shot to the surface, and, without a word, 
swam at full speed towards the higher side of the 
lake. He followed, begging to know if she was ill, 
or what was the matter. She never turned her head, 
or took the smallest notice of his question. Ar¬ 
rived at the shore, she coasted the rocks with minute 
inspection. But she was not able to come to a con¬ 
clusion, for the moon was very small, and so she 
could not see well. She turned therefore and swam 
home, without saying a word to explain her conduct 
to the prince, of whose presence she seemed no 
longer conscious. He withdrew to his cave, in great 
perplexity and distress. 


The Light Princess 


33i 


Next day she made many observations, which, 
alas! strengthened her fears. She saw that the 
banks were too dry; and that the grass on the shore, 
and the trailing plants on the rocks, were withering 
away. She caused marks to be made along the bor¬ 
ders, and examined them, day after day, in all direc¬ 
tions of the wind; till at last the horrible idea be¬ 
came a certain fact—that the surface of the lake was 
slowly sinking. 

The poor princess nearly went out of the little 
mind she had. It was awful to her to see the lake, 
which she loved more than any living thing, lie 
dying before her eyes. It sank away, slowly vanish¬ 
ing. The tops of rocks that had never been seen till 
now, began to appear far down in the clear water. 
Before long they were dry in the sun. It was fearful 
to think of the mud that would soon lie there baking 
and festering, full of lovely creatures dying, and 
ugly creatures coming to life, like the unmaking of 
a world. And how hot the sun would be without 
any lake! She could not bear to swim in it any 
more, and began to pine away. Her life seemed 
bound up with it; and ever as the lake sank, she 
pined. People said she would not live an hour after 
the lake was gone. 

But she never cried. 

Proclamation was made to all the kingdom, that 
whosoever should discover the cause of the. lake’s 
decrease, would be rewarded after a princely fash¬ 
ion. Plum-Drum and Kopy-Keck applied them¬ 
selves to their physics and metaphysics; but in vain. 
Not even they could suggest a cause. 

Now the fact was that the old princess was at the 


332 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

root of the mischief. When she heard that her 
niece found more pleasure in the water than any one 
else had out of it, she went into a rage, and cursed 
herself for her want of foresight. 

“ But,” said she, “ I will soon set all right. The 
king and the people shall die of thirst; their brains 
shall boil and frizzle in their skulls before I will lose 
my revenge.” 

And she laughed a ferocious laugh, that made the 
hairs on the back of her black cat stand erect with 
terror. 

Then she went to an old chest in the room, and 
opening it, took out what looked like a piece of dried 
seaweed. This she threw into a tub of water. Then 
she threw some powder into the water, and stirred 
it with her bare arm, muttering over it words of 
hideous sound, and yet more hideous import. Then 
she set the tub aside, and took from the chest a huge 
bunch of a hundred rusty keys, that clattered in her 
shaking hands. Then she sat down and proceeded 
to oil them all. Before she had finished, out from 
the tub, the water of which had kept on a slow mo¬ 
tion ever since she had ceased stirring it, came the 
head and half the body of a huge gray snake. But 
the witch did not look round. It grew out of the 
tub, waving itself backwards and forwards with a 
slow horizontal motion, till it reached the princess, 
when it laid its head upon her shoulder, and gave a 
low hiss in her ear. She started—but with joy; and 
seeing the head resting on her shoulder, drew it 
towards her and kissed it. Then she drew it all out 
of the tub, and wound it round her body. It was 


The Light Princess 


333 


one of those dreadful creatures which few have ever 
beheld—the White Snakes of Darkness. 

Then she took the keys and went down to her 
cellar; and as she unlocked the door she said to her¬ 
self : 

“ This is worth living for! ” 

Locking the door behind her, she descended a few 
steps into the cellar, and crossing it, unlocked an¬ 
other door into a dark, narrow passage. She locked 
this also behind her, and descended a few more 
steps. If any one had followed the witch-princess, 
he would have heard her unlock exactly one hundred 
doors, and descend a few steps after unlocking each. 
When she had unlocked the last, she entered a vast 
cave, the roof of which was supported by huge 
natural pillars of rock. Now this roof was the 
under side of the bottom of the lake. 

She then untwined the snake from her body, and 
held it by the tail high above her. The hideous 
creature stretched up its head towards the roof of 
the cavern, which it was just able to reach. It then 
began to move its head backwards and forwards, 
with a slow oscillating motion, as if looking for 
something. At the same moment the witch began 
to walk round and round the cavern, coming nearer 
to the centre every circuit; while the head of the 
snake described the same path over the roof that 
she did over the floor, for she kept holding it up. 
And still it kept slowly oscillating. Round and 
round the cavern they went, ever lessening the cir¬ 
cuit, till at last the snake made a sudden dart, and 
clung to the roof with its mouth. 


334 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

“ That’s right, my beauty! ” cried the princess; 
“ drain it dry.” 

She let it go, left it hanging, and sat down on a 
great stone, with her black cat, which had followed 
her all round the cave, by her side. Then she began 
to knit and mutter awful words. The snake hung 
like a huge leech, sucking at the stone; the cat stood 
with his back arched, and his tail like a piece of 
cable, looking up at the snake; and the old woman 
sat and knitted and muttered. Seven days and seven 
nights they remained thus; when suddenly the ser¬ 
pent dropped from the roof as if exhausted, and 
shrivelled up till it was again like a piece of dried 
seaweed. The witch started to her feet, picked it 
up, put it in her pocket, and looked up at the roof. 
One drop of water was trembling on the spot where 
the snake had been sucking. As soon as she saw 
that, she turned and fled, followed by her cat. Shut¬ 
ting the door in a terrible hurry, she locked it, 
and having muttered some frightful words, sped to 
the next, which also she locked and muttered over; 
and so with all the hundred doors, till she arrived 
in her own cellar. Then she sat down on the floor 
ready to faint, but listening with malicious delight 
to the rushing of the water, which she could hear 
distinctly through all the hundred doors. 

But this was not enough. Now that she had 
tasted revenge, she lost her patience. Without fur¬ 
ther measures, the lake would be too long in dis¬ 
appearing. So the next night, with the last shred of 
the dying old moon rising, she took some of the 
water in which she had revived the snake, put it in 
a bottle, and set out, accompanied by her cat. Be- 


The Light Princess 


335 

fore morning she had made the entire circuit of the 
lake, muttering fearful words as she crossed every 
stream, and casting into it some of the water out 
of her bottle. When she had finished the circuit she 
muttered yet again, and flung a handful of water 
towards the moon. Thereupon every spring in the 
country ceased to throb and bubble, dying away 
like the pulse of a dying man. The next day there 
was no sound of falling water to be heard along 
the borders of the lake. The very courses were dry; 
and the mountains showed no silvery streaks down 
their dark sides. And not alone had the fountains 
of mother Earth ceased to flow; for all the babies 
throughout the country were crying dreadfully— 
only without tears. 


XII 

Where Is the Prince? 

Never since the night when the princess left him 
so abruptly had the prince had a single interview 
with her. He had seen her once or twice in the 
lake; but as far as he could discover, she had not 
been in it any more at night. He had sat and sung, 
and looked in vain for his Nereid, while she, like a 
true Nereid, was wasting away with her lake, sink¬ 
ing as it sank, withering as it dried. When at 
length he discovered the change that was taking 
place in the level of the water, he was in great alarm 
and perplexity. He could not tell whether the lake 
was dying because the lady had forsaken it; or 


336 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

whether the lady would not come because the lake 
had begun to sink. But he resolved to know so 
much at least. 

He disguised himself, and, going to the palace, 
requested to see the lord chamberlain. His appear¬ 
ance at once gained his request; and the lord cham¬ 
berlain, being a man of some insight, perceived that 
there was more in the prince’s solicitation than met 
the ear. He felt likewise that no one could tell 
whence a solution of the present difficulties might 
arise. So he granted the prince’s prayer to be made 
shoeblack to the princess. It was rather cunning 
in the prince to request such an easy post, for the 
princess could not possibly soil as many shoes as 
other princesses. 

He soon learned all that could be told about the 
princess. He went nearly distracted; but after 
roaming about the lake for days, and diving in 
every depth that remained, all that he could do was 
to put an extra polish on the dainty pair of boots 
that was never called for. 

For the princess kept her room, with the curtains 
drawn to shut out the dying lake, but could not 
shut it out of her mind for a moment. It haunted 
her imagination so that she felt as if the lake were 
her soul, drying up within her, first to mud, then 
to madness and death. She thus brooded over the 
change, with all its dreadful accompaniments, till 
she was nearly distracted. As for the prince, she 
had forgotten him. However much she had enjoyed 
his company in the water, she did not care for him 
without it. But she seemed to have forgotten her 
father and mother too. 


The Light Princess 


337 


The lake went on sinking. Small slimy spots be¬ 
gan to appear, which glittered steadily amidst the 
changeful shine of the water. These grew to broad 
patches of mud, which widened and spread, with 
rocks here and there, and floundering fishes and 
crawling eels swarming. The people went every¬ 
where catching these, and looking for anything that 
might have dropped from the royal boats. 

At length the lake was all but gone, only a few 
of the deepest pools remaining unexhausted. 

It happened one day that a party of youngsters 
found themselves on the brink of one of these pools 
in the very centre of the lake. It was a rocky 
basin of considerable depth. Looking in, they saw 
at the bottom something that shone yellow in the 
sun. A little boy jumped in and dived for it. It 
was a plate of gold covered with writing. They 
carried it to the king. 

On one side of it stood these words: 

“ Death alone from death can save. 

Love is death, and so is brave. 

Love can fill the deepest grave. 

Love loves on beneath the wave.” 

Now this was enigmatical enough to the king and 
courtiers. But the reverse of the plate explained it 
a little. Its writing amounted to this: 

“ If the lake should disappear, they must find the 
hole through which the water ran. But it would be 
useless to try to stop it by any ordinary means. 
There was but one effectual mode. The body of a 
living man could alone staunch the flow. The man 


338 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

must give himself of his own will; and the lake 
must take his life as it filled. Otherwise the offer¬ 
ing would be of no avail. If the nation could not 
provide one hero, it was time it should perish.” 

XIII 

Here I Am! 

This was a very disheartening revelation to the 
king—not that he was unwilling to sacrifice a sub¬ 
ject, but that he was hopeless of finding a man will¬ 
ing to sacrifice himself. No time was to be lost, 
however, for the princess was lying motionless on 
her bed, and taking no nourishment but lake-water, 
which was now none of the best. Therefore the 
king caused the contents of the wonderful plate of 
gold to be published throughout the country. 

No one, however, came forward. 

The prince, having gone several days’ journey 
into the forest, to consult a hermit whom he had 
met there on his way to Lagobel, knew nothing of 
the oracle till his return. 

When he had acquainted himself with all the 
particulars, he sat down and thought: 

“ She will die if I don’t do it, and life would be 
nothing to me without her; so I shall lose nothing 
by doing it. And life will be as pleasant to her as 
ever, for she will soon forget me. And there will 
be so much more beauty and happiness in the world! 
To be sure, I shall not see it.” (Here the poor 
prince gave a sigh.) “ How lovely the lake will be 
in the moonlight, with that glorious creature sport- 


The Light Princess 


339 


ing in it like a wild goddess! It is rather hard to be 
drowned by inches, though. Let me see—that will 
be seventy inches of me to drown.” (Here he tried 
to laugh, but could not.) “ The longer the better, 
however,” he resumed, “ for can I not bargain that 
the princess shall be beside me all the time? So I 
shall see her once more, kiss her perhaps—who 
knows? and die looking in her eyes. It will be no 
death. At least, I shall not feel it. And to see the 
lake filling for the beauty again! All right! I am 
ready.” 

He kissed the princess’s boot, laid it down, and 
hurried to the king’s apartment. But feeling, as he 
went, that anything sentimental would be disagree¬ 
able, he resolved to carry off the whole affair with 
nonchalance. So he knocked at the door of the 
king’s counting-house, where it was all but a capital 
crime to disturb him. 

When the king heard the knock, he started up, 
and opened the door in a rage. Seeing only the 
shoeblack, he drew his sword. This, I am sorry to 
say, was his usual mode of asserting his regality 
when he thought his dignity was in danger. But 
the prince was not in the least alarmed. 

“ Please your majesty, I’m your butler,” said he. 

“ My butler! you lying rascal! What do you 
mean ? ” 

“ I mean, I will cork your big bottle.” 

“ Is the fellow mad ? ” bawled the king, raising 
the point of his sword. 

“ I will put the stopper—plug—what you call it, in 
your leaky lake, grand monarch,” said the prince. 

The king was in such a rage that before he could 


34 ° Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

speak he had time to cool, and to reflect that it 
would be great waste to kill the only man who was 
willing to be useful in the present emergency, see¬ 
ing that in the end the insolent fellow would be as 
dead as if he had died by his majesty’s own hand. 

“ Oh ! ” said he at last, putting up his sword with 
difficulty, it was so long; “ I am obliged to you, you 
young fool! Take a glass of wine ? ” 

“ No, thank you,” replied the prince. 

“ Very well,” said the king. “ Would you like to 
run and see your parents before you make your 
experiment ? ” 

“ No, thank you,” said the prince. 

“ Then we will go and look for the hole at once,” 
said his majesty, and proceeded to call some at¬ 
tendants. 

“ Stop, please your majesty, I have a condition to 
make,” interposed the prince. 

“ What! ” exclaimed the king, “ a condition ! and 
with me! How dare you ? ” 

“ As you please,” returned the prince, coolly. “ I 
wish your majesty a good morning.” 

“ You wretch! I will have you put in a sack, and 
stuck in the hole.” 

“ Very well, your majesty,” replied the prince, be¬ 
coming a little more respectful, lest the wrath of the 
king should deprive him of the pleasure of dying for 
the princess. “ But what good will that do your 
majesty? Please to remember that the oracle says 
the victim must offer himself.” 

“ Well, you have offered yourself,” retorted the 
king. 

“ Yes, upon one condition.” 


The Light Princess 


34i 


“ Condition again! ” roared the king, once more 
drawing his sword. “ Begone! Somebody else will 
be glad enough to take the honour off your shoul¬ 
ders.” 

“ Your majesty knows it will not be easy to get 
another to take my place.” 

“Well, what is your condition?” growled the 
king, feeling that the prince was right. 

“ Only this,” replied the prince; “ that, as I must 
on no account die before I am fairly drowned, and 
the waiting will be rather wearisome, the princess, 
your daughter, shall go with me, feed me with her 
own hands, and look at me now and then to comfort 
me; for you must confess it is rather hard. As 
soon as the water is up to my eyes, she may go and 
be happy, and forget her poor shoeblack.” 

Here the prince’s voice faltered, and he very 
nearly grew sentimental, in spite of his resolution. 

“ Why didn’t you tell me before what your condi¬ 
tion was ? Such a fuss about nothing! ” exclaimed 
the king. 

“ Do you grant it ? ” persisted the prince. 

“ Of course I do,” replied the king. 

“ Very well. I am ready.” 

“ Go and have some dinner, then, while I set my 
people to find the place.” 

The king ordered out his guards, and gave direc¬ 
tions to the officers to find the hole in the lake at 
once. So the bed of the lake was marked out in 
divisions and thoroughly examined, and in an hour 
or so the hole was discovered. It was in the middle 
of a stone, near the centre of the lake, in the very 
pool where the golden plate had been found. It was 


342 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

a three-cornered hole of no great size. There was 
water all round the stone, but very little was flowing 
through the hole. 


XIV 

This Is Very Kind of You 

The prince went to dress for the occasion, for he 
was resolved to die like a prince. 

When the princess heard that a man had offered 
to die for her, she was so transported that she 
jumped off the bed, feeble as she was, and danced 
about the room for joy. She did not care who the 
man was; that was nothing to her. The hole wanted 
stopping; and if only a man would do, why, take 
one. In an hour or two more everything was ready. 
Her maid dressed her in haste, and they carried her 
to the side of the lake. When she saw it she 
shrieked, and covered her face with her hands. They 
bore her across to the stone, where they had already 
placed a little boat for her. The water was not 
deep enough to float in, but they hoped it would be, 
before long. They laid her on cushions, placed in 
the boat wines and fruits and other nice things, and 
stretched a canopy over all. 

In a few minutes the prince appeared. The prin¬ 
cess recognised him at once, but did not think it 
worth while to acknowledge him. 

“ Here I am,” said the prince. “ Put me in.” 

“ They told me it was a shoeblack,” said the 
princess. 

“ So I am,” said the prince. “ I blacked your 


The Light Princess 


343 


little boots three times a day, because they were all 
I could get of you. Put me in.” 

The courtiers did not resent his bluntness, except 
by saying to each other that he was taking it out 
in impudence. 

But how was he to be put in? The golden plate 
contained no instructions on this point. The prince 
looked at the hole, and saw but one way. He put 
both his legs into it, sitting on the stone, and, stoop¬ 
ing forward, covered the corner that remained open 
with his two hands. In this uncomfortable position 
he resolved to abide his fate, and turning to the 
people, said: 

“ Now you can go.” 

The king had already gone home to dinner. 

“ Now you can go,” repeated' the princess after 
him, like a parrot. 

The people obeyed her and went. 

Presently a little wave flowed over the stone, and 
wetted one of the prince’s knees. But he did not 
mind it much. He began to sing, and the song he 
sang was this: 

“ As a world that has no well, 

Darkly bright in forest dell; 

As a world without the gleam 
Of the downward-going stream; 

As a world without the glance 
Of the ocean’s fair expanse; 

As a world where never rain 
Glittered on the sunny plain;— 

Such, my heart, thy world would be, 

If no love did flow in thee. 


344 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

“ As a world without the sound 
Of the rivulets underground ; 

Or the bubbling of the spring 
Out of darkness wandering; 

Or the mighty rush and flowing 
Of the river's downward going; 

Or the music-showers that drop 
On the outspread beech’s top; 

Or the ocean’s mighty voice, 

When his lifted waves rejoice;— 

Such, my soul, thy world would be. 

If no love did sing in thee. 

“ Lady, keep thy world’s delight, 

Keep the waters in thy sight. 

Love hath made me strong to go, 

For thy sake, to realms below, 

Where the water’s shine and hum 
Through the darkness never come. 

Let, I pray, one thought of me 
Spring, a little well, in thee; 

Lest thy loveless soul be found 
Like a dry and thirsty ground.” 

“ Sing again, prince. It makes it less tedious,” 
said the princess. 

But the prince was too much overcome to sing any 
more, and a long pause followed. 

“ This is very kind of you, prince,” said the prin¬ 
cess at last, quite coolly, as she lay in the boat with 
her eyes shut. 

“ I am sorry I can’t return the compliment,” 
thought the prince, “ but you are worth dying for, 
after all.” 


The Light Princess 


345 


Again a wavelet, and another, and another flowed 
over the stone, and wetted both the prince’s knees; 
but he did not speak or move. Two—three—four 
hours passed in this way, the princess apparently 
asleep, and the prince very patient. But he was 
much disappointed in his position, for he had none 
of the consolation he had hoped for. 

At last he could bear it no longer. 

“ Princess! ” said he. 

But at the moment up started the princess, cry¬ 
ing; 

“I’m afloat! I’m afloat!” 

And the little boat bumped against the stone. 

“ Princess! ” repeated the prince, encouraged by 
seeing her wide awake and looking eagerly at the 
water. 

“ Well ? ” said she, without looking round. 

“ Your papa promised that you should look at me, 
and you haven’t looked at me once.” 

“ Did he ? Then I suppose I must. But I am so 
sleepy! ” 

“ Sleep, then, darling, and don’t mind me,” said 
the poor prince. 

“ Really, you are very good,” replied the princess. 
“ I think I will go to sleep again.” 

“ Just give me a glass of wine and a biscuit first,” 
said the prince, very humbly. 

“ With all my heart,” said the princess, and 
yawned as she said it. 

She got the wine and the biscuit, however, and 
leaning over the side of the boat towards him, was 
compelled to look at him. 


346 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

“ Why, prince,” she said, “ you don’t look well! 
Are you sure you don’t mind it ? ” 

“ Not a bit,” answered he, feeling very faint in¬ 
deed. “ Only I shall die before it is of any use to 
you, unless I have something to eat.” 

“ There, then,” said she, holding out the wine to 
him. 

“ Ah! you must feed me. I dare not move my 
hands. The water would run away directly.” 

“ Good gracious! ” said the princess; and she be¬ 
gan at once to feed him with bits of biscuit and sips 
of wine. 

As she fed him, he contrived to kiss the tips of her 
fingers now and then. She did not seem to mind it, 
one way or the other. But the prince felt better. 

“ Now, for your own sake, princess,” said he, “ I 
cannot let you go to sleep. You must sit and look 
at me, else I shall not be able to keep up.” 

“ Well, I will do anything to oblige you,” answered 
she, with condescension; and, sitting down, she did 
look at him, and kept looking at him with wonderful 
steadiness, considering all things. 

The sun went down, and the moon rose, and, gush 
after gush, the waters were rising up the prince’s 
body. They were up to his waist now. 

“ Why can’t we go and have a swim ? ” said the 
princess. “ There seems to be water enough just 
about here.” 

“ I shall never swim more,” said the prince. 

“ Oh, I forgot,” said the princess, and was silent. 

So the water grew and grew, and rose up and up 
on the prince. And the princess sat and looked at 
him. She fed him now and then. The night wore 


The Light Princess 


347 


on. The waters rose and rose. The moon rose like¬ 
wise higher and higher, and shone full on the face 
of the dying prince. The water was up to his neck. 

“ Will you kiss me, princess ? ” said he, feebly. 
The nonchalance was all gone now. 

“ Yes, I will,” answered the princess, and kissed 
him with a long, sweet, cold kiss. 

“ Now,” said he, with a sigh of content, “ I die 
happy.” 

He did not speak again. The princess gave him 
some wine for the last time: he was past eating. 
Then she sat down again, and looked at him. The 
water rose and rose. It touched his chin. It touched 
his lower lip. It touched between his lips. He shut 
them hard to keep it out. The princess began to feel 
strange. It touched his upper lip. He breathed 
through his nostrils. The princess looked wild. It 
covered his nostrils. Her eyes looked scared, and 
shone strange in the moonlight. His head fell back; 
the water closed over it, and the bubbles of his last 
breath bubbled up through the water. The princess 
gave a shriek, and sprang into the lake. 

She laid hold first of one leg, and then of the 
other, and pulled and tugged, but she could not move 
either. She stopped to take breath, and that made 
her think that he could not get any breath. She 
was frantic. She got hold of him, and held his 
head above the water, which was possible now his 
hands were no longer on the hole. But it was of no 
use, for he was past breathing. 

Love and water brought back all her strength. 
She got under the water, and pulled and pulled 
with her whole might, till at last she got one leg out. 


348 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

The other easily followed. How she got him into 
the boat she never could tell; but when she did, she 
fainted away. Coming to herself, she seized the 
oars, kept herself steady as best she could, and 
rowed and rowed, though she had never rowed be¬ 
fore. Round rocks, and over shallows, and through 
mud she rowed, till she got to the landing-stairs of 
the palace. By this time her people were on the 
shore, for they had heard her shriek. She made 
them carry the prince to her own room, and lay 
him in her bed, and light a fire, and send for the 
doctors. 

“ But the lake, your highness! ” said the cham¬ 
berlain, who, roused by the noise, came in, in his 
nightcap. 

“ Go and drown yourself in it! ” she said. 

This was the last rudeness of which the princess 
was ever guilty; and one must allow that she had 
good cause to feel provoked with the lord chamber- 
lain. 

Had it been the king himself, he would have fared 
no better. But both he and the queen were fast 
asleep. And the chamberlain went back to his bed. 
Somehow, the doctors never came. So the princess 
and her old nurse were left with the prince. But the 
old nurse was a wise woman, and knew what to do. 

They tried everything for a long time without suc¬ 
cess. The princess was nearly distracted between 
hope and fear, but she tried on and on, one thing 
after another, and everything over and over again. 

At last, when they had all but given it up, just 
as the sun rose, the prince opened his eyes. 


The Light Princess 


349 


XV 

Look at the Rain! 

The princess burst into a passion of tears and fell 
on the floor. There she lay for an hour, and her 
tears never ceased. All the pent-up crying of her 
life was spent now. And a rain came on, such as 
had never been seen in that country. The sun shone 
all the time, and the great drops, which fell straight 
to the earth, shone likewise. The palace was in the 
heart of a rainbow. It was a rain of rubies, and sap¬ 
phires, and emeralds, and topazes. The torrents 
poured from the mountains like molten gold; and if 
it had not been for its subterraneous outlet, the lake 
would have overflowed and inundated the country. 
It was full from shore to shore. 

But the princess did not heed the lake. She lay 
on the floor and wept. And this rain within doors 
was far more wonderful than the rain out of doors. 
For when it abated a little, and she proceeded to rise, 
she found, to her astonishment, that she could not. 
At length, after many efforts, she succeeded in get¬ 
ting upon her feet. But she tumbled down again 
directly. Hearing her fall, her old nurse uttered 
a yell of delight, and ran to her, screaming: 

“ My darling child! she’s found her gravity ! ” 

“ Oh, that’s it! is it ? ” said the princess, rubbing 
her shoulder and her knee alternately. “ I consider 
it very unpleasant. I feel as if I should be crushed 
to pieces.” 

“ Hurrah! ” cried the prince from the bed. “ If 


35 © Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

you’ve come round, princess, so have I. How’s the 
lake?” 

“ Brimful,” answered the nurse. 

“ Then we’re all happy.” 

“ That we are indeed! ” answered the princess, 
sobbing. 

And there was rejoicing all over the country that 
rainy day. Even the babies forgot their past trou¬ 
bles, and danced and crowed amazingly. And the 
king told stories, and the queen listened to them. 
And he divided the money in his box, and she the 
honey in her pot, among all the children. And there 
was such jubilation as was never heard of before. 

Of course the prince and princess were betrothed 
at once. But the princess had to learn to walk, 
before they could be married with any propriety. 
And this was not so easy at her time of life, for she 
could walk no more than a baby. She was always 
falling down and hurting herself. 

“ Is this the gravity you used to make so much 
of ? ” said she one day to the prince, as he raised her 
from the floor. “ For my part, I was a great deal 
more comfortable without it.” 

“ No, no, that’s not it. This is it,” replied the 
prince, as he took her up, and carried her about like 
a baby, kissing her all the time. “ This is gravity.” 

“ That’s better,” said she. “ I don’t mind that so 
much.” 

And she smiled the sweetest, loveliest smile in the 
prince’s face. And she gave him one little kiss in 
return for all his; and he thought them overpaid, 
for he was beside himself with delight. I fear she 


The Light Princess 


35i 


complained of her gravity more than once after this, 
notwithstanding. 

It was a long time before she got reconciled to 
walking. But the pain of learning it was quite 
counterbalanced by two things, either of which 
would have been sufficient consolation. The first 
was, that the prince himself was her teacher; and 
the second, that she could tumble into the lake as 
often as she pleased. Still, she preferred to have 
the prince jump in with her; and the splash they 
made before was nothing to the splash they made 
now. 

The lake never sank again. In process of time 
it wore the roof of the cavern quite through, and was 
twice as deep as before. 

The only revenge the princess took upon her aunt 
was to tread pretty hard on her gouty toe the next 
time she saw her. But she was sorry for it the very 
next day, when she heard that the water had under¬ 
mined her house, and that it had fallen in the night, 
burying her in its ruins; whence no one ever ven¬ 
tured to dig up her body. There she lies to this day. 

So the prince and princess lived and were happy; 
and had crowns of gold, and clothes of cloth, and 
shoes of leather, and children of boys and girls, not 
one of whom was ever known, on the most critical 
occasion, to lose the smallest atom of his or her due 
proportion of gravity. 


CHAPTER XXIV 


BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 

There was once a very rich merchant, who had 
six children, three boys and three girls. As he was 
himself a man of great sense, he spared no expense 
for their education, but provided them with all sorts 
of masters for their improvement. The three daugh¬ 
ters were all handsome, but particularly the young¬ 
est: indeed she was so very beautiful that in her 
childhood every one called her the Little Beauty, 
and being still the same when she was grown up, 
nobody called her by any other name, which made 
her sisters very jealous of her. This youngest 
daughter was not only more handsome than her 
sisters, but was also better tempered. The two eld¬ 
est were vain of being rich, and spoke with pride 
to those they thought below them. They gave 
themselves a thousand airs, and would not visit other 
merchants’ daughters; nor would they indeed be seen 
with any but persons of quality. They went every 
day to balls, plays, and public walks, and always 
made game of their youngest sister for spending her 
time in reading, or other useful employments. As 
it was well known that these young ladies would 
have large fortunes, many great merchants wished to 
get them for wives; but the two eldest always 
answered that, for their parts, they had no thoughts 


Beauty and the Beast 


353 


of marrying any one below a duke, or an earl at 
least. Beauty had quite as many offers as her sis¬ 
ters, but she always answered with the greatest civil¬ 
ity, that she was much obliged to her lovers, but 
would rather live some years longer with her father, 
as she thought herself too young to marry. 

It happened that by some unlucky accident the 
merchant suddenly lost all his fortune, and had noth¬ 
ing left but a small cottage in the country. Upon 
this, he said to his daughters, while the tears ran 
down his cheeks all the time, “ My children, we 
must now go and dwell in the cottage, and try to get 
a living by labour, for we have no other means of 
support.” The two eldest replied that, for their 
parts, they did not know how to work, and v. T ould 
not leave town; for they had lovers enough \vtio 
would be glad to marry them, though they had no 
longer any fortune. But in this they were mistaken ; 
for when the lovers heard what had happened, they 
said, “ The girls were so proud and ill-tempered, 
that all we wanted was their fortune; we are not 
sorry at all to see their pride brought down. Let 
them give themselves airs to their cows and sheep.” 
But every body pitied poor Beauty, because she was 
so sweet-tempered and kind to all that knew her; 
and several gentlemen offered to marry her, though 
she had not a penny; but Beauty still refused, and 
said she could not think of leaving her poor father 
in this trouble and would go and help him in his la¬ 
bours in the country. At first Beauty could not help 
sometimes crying in secret for the hardships she 
was now obliged to suffer; but in a very short time 
she said to herself, “All the crying in the world will 


354 Fairy Talcs Every Child Should Know 

do me no good, so I will try to be happy without a 
fortune.” 

When they had removed to their cottage, the mer¬ 
chant and his three sons employed themselves in 
ploughing and sowing the fields, and working in the 
garden. Beauty also did her part, for she got up by 
four o’clock every morning, lighted the fires, cleaned 
the house, and got the breakfast for the whole fam¬ 
ily. At first she found all this very hard; but she 
soon grew quite used to it, and thought it no hard¬ 
ship at all; and indeed the work greatly amended 
her health. When she had done, she used to amuse 
herself with reading, playing on her music, or sing¬ 
ing while she spun. But her two sisters were at a 
loss what to do to pass the time away: they had 
their breakfast in bed, and did not rise till ten o'clock. 
Then they commonly walked out; but always found 
themselves very soon tired; when they would often 
sit down under a shady tree, and grieve for the loss 
of their carriage and fine clothes, and say to each 
other, “ What a mean-spirited poor stupid creature 
our young sister is, to be so content with our low 
way of life! ” But their father thought in quite an¬ 
other way: he admired the patience of this sweet 
young creature; for her sisters not only left her to 
do the whole work of the house, but made game of 
her every moment. 

After they had lived in this manner about a year, 
the merchant received a letter, which informed him 
that one of the richest ships, which he thought was 
lost, had just come into port. This news made the 
two eldest sisters almost mad with joy; for they 
thought they should now leave the cottage, and have 


Beauty and the Beast 


3 55 


all their finery again. When they found that their 
father must take a journey to the ship, the two eld¬ 
est begged he would not fail to bring them back 
some new gowns, caps, rings, and all sorts of trin¬ 
kets. But Beauty asked for nothing; for she thought 
in herself that all the ship was worth would hardly 
buy every thing her sisters wished for. “ Beauty,” 
said the merchant, “ how comes it about that you 
ask for nothing; what can I bring you, my child ? ” 
“ Since you are so kind as to think of me, dear 
father,” she answered, “ I should be glad if you 
would bring me a rose, for we have none in our gar¬ 
den.” Now Beauty did not indeed wish for a rose, 
nor any thing else, but she only said this, that she 
might not affront her sisters, for else they would 
have said she wanted her father to praise her for not 
asking him for any thing. The merchant took his 
leave of them and set out on his journey; but when 
he got to the ship, some persons went to law with 
him about the cargo, and after a deal of trouble, he 
came back to his cottage as poor as he had gone 
away. When he was within thirty miles of his home, 
and thinking of the joy he should have in again 
meeting his children, his road lay through a thick 
forest, and he quite lost himself. It rained and 
snowed very hard, and besides, the wind was so 
high as to throw him twice from his horse. Night 
came on, and he thought to be sure he should die of 
cold and hunger, or be torn to pieces by the wolves 
that he heard howling round him. All at once, he 
now cast his eyes towards a long row of trees, and 
saw a light at the end of them, but it seemed a great 
way off. He made the best of his way towards it. 


356 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

and found that it came from a fine palace, lighted 
all over. He walked faster, and soon reached the 
gates, which he opened, and was very much sur¬ 
prised that he did not see a single person or creature 
in any of the yards. His horse had followed him, 
and finding a stable with the door open, went into it 
at once; and here the poor beast, being nearly 
starved, helped himself to a good meal of oats and 
hay. His master then tied him up, and walked 
towards the house, which he entered, but still with¬ 
out seeing a living creature. He went on to a large 
hall, where he found a good fire, and a table cov¬ 
ered with some very nice dishes, and only one plate 
with a knife and fork. As the snow and rain had 
wetted him to the skin, he went up to the fire to dry 
himself. “ I hope,” said he, “ the master of the 
house or his servants will excuse me, for to be sure 
it will not be long now before I see them.” He 
waited a good time, but still nobody came: at last 
the clock struck eleven, and the merchant, being 
quite faint for the want of food, helped himself to a 
chicken, which he made but two mouthfuls of, and 
then to a few glasses of wine, yet all the time trem¬ 
bling with fear. He sat till the clock struck twelve, 
but did not see a single creature. He now took 
courage, and began to think of looking a little more 
about him; so he opened a door at the end of the 
hall, and went through it into a very grand room, 
in which there was a fine bed; and as he was quite 
weak and tired, he shut the door, took off his clothes, 
and got into it. 

It was ten o’clock in the morning before he 
thought of getting up, when he was amazed to see 


Beauty and the Beast 


357 


a handsome new suit of clothes laid ready for him, 
instead of his own, which he had spoiled. “ To be 
sure,” said he to himself, “ this place belongs to 
some good fairy, who has taken pity on my ill luck.” 
He looked out of the window, and, instead of snow, 
he saw the most charming arbours covered with all 
kinds of flowers. He returned to the hall, where he 
had supped, and found a breakfast table, with some 
chocolate got ready for him. “ Indeed, my good 
fairy,” said the merchant aloud, “ I am vastly obliged 
to you for your kind care of me.” He then made a 
hearty breakfast, took his hat, and was going to the 
stable to pay his horse a visit; but as he passed 
under one of the arbours, which was loaded with 
roses, he thought of what Beauty had asked him 
to bring back to her, and so he took a bunch of roses 
to carry home. At the same moment he heard a 
most shocking noise, and saw such a frightful beast 
coming towards him, that he was ready to drop with 
fear. “ Ungrateful man! ” said the beast, in a terri¬ 
ble voice, “ I have saved your life by letting you 
into my palace, and in return you steal my roses, 
which I value more than any thing else that belongs 
to me. But you shall make amends for your fault 
with your life. You shall die in a quarterof an hour.” 
The merchant fell on his knees to the beast, and, 
clasping his hands, said, “ My lord, I humbly beg 
your pardon. I did not think it would offend you to 
gather a rose for one of my daughters, who wished 
to have one.” “ I am not a lord, but a beast,” replied 
the monster; “ I do not like false compliments, but 
that people should say what they think: so do not 
fancy that you can coax me by any such ways. You 


358 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

tell me that you have daughters; now I will pardon 
you, if one of them will agree to come and die in¬ 
stead of you. Go; and if your daughters should re¬ 
fuse, promise me that you yourself will return in 
three months/’ 

The tender-hearted merchant had no thought of 
letting any one of his daughters die instead of him; 
but he knew that if he seemed to accept the beast’s 
terms, he should at least have the pleasure of seeing 
them once again. So he gave the beast his promise; 
and the beast told him he might then set off as soon 
as he liked. “ But,” said the beast, “ I do not wish 
you to go back empty-handed. Go to the room you 
slept in, and you will find a chest there; fill it with 
just what you like best, and I will get it taken to 
your own house for you.” When the beast had said 
this, he went away; and the good merchant said to 
himself, “ If I must die, yet I shall now have the com¬ 
fort of leaving my children some riches.” He re¬ 
turned to the room he had slept in, and found a 
great many pieces of gold. He filled the chest with 
them to the very brim, locked it, and mounting his 
horse, left the palace as sorry as he had been glad 
when he first found it. The horse took a path 
across the forest of his own accord, and in a few 
hours they reached the merchant’s house. His chil¬ 
dren came running round him as he got off his 
horse; but the merchant, instead of kissing them 
with joy, could not help crying as he looked at them. 
He held in his hand the bunch of roses, which he 
gave to Beauty, saying: “ Take these roses, Beauty; 
but little do you think how dear they have cost your 
poor father;” and then he gave them an account of 


Beauty and the Beast 


359 


all that he had seen or heard in the palace of the 
beast. The two eldest sisters now began to shed 
tears, and to lay the blame upon Beauty, who they 
said would be the cause of her father’s death. 
“ See,” said they, “ what happens from the pride of 
the little wretch. Why did not she ask for fine things 
as we did? But, to be sure, miss must not be like 
other people; and though she will be the cause of 
her father’s death, yet she does not shed a tear.” 
“ It would be of no use,” replied Beauty, “ to weep 
for the death of my father, for he shall not die now. 
As the beast will accept of one of his daughters, I 
will give myself up to him ; and think myself happy 
in being able at once to save his life, and prove my 
love for the best of fathers.” “ No, sister,” said the 
three brothers, “ you shall not die; we will go in 
search for this monster, and either he or we will per¬ 
ish.” “ Do not hope to kill him,” said the mer¬ 
chant, “ for his power is far too great for you to be 
able to do any such thing. I am charmed with the 
kindness of Beauty, but I will not suffer her life to be 
lost. I myself am old, and cannot expect to live 
much longer; so I shall but give up a few years of 
my life, and shall only grieve for the sake of my 
children.” “ Never, father,” cried Beauty, “ shall 
you go to the palace without me; for you cannot 
hinder my going after you. Though young, I am not 
over fond of life; and I would much rather be eaten 
up by the monster, than die of the grief your loss 
would give me.” The merchant tried in vain to 
reason with Beauty, for she would go; which, in 
truth, made her two sisters glad, for they were jeal¬ 
ous of her, because everybody loved her. 


360 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

The merchant was so grieved at the thoughts of 
losing his child, that he never once thought of the 
chest filled with gold; but at night, to his great sur¬ 
prise, he found it standing by his bedside. He said 
nothing about his riches to his eldest daughters, for 
he knew very well it would at once make them want 
to return to town; but he told Beauty his secret, and 
she then said, that while he was away, two gentle¬ 
men had been on a visit to their cottage, who had 
fallen in love with her two sisters. She then begged 
her father to marry them without delay; for she was 
so sweet-tempered, that she loved them for all they 
had used her so ill, and forgave them with all her 
heart. When the three months were past, the mer¬ 
chant and Beauty got ready to set out for the palace 
of the beast. Upon this, the two sisters rubbed their 
eyes with an onion, to make believe they shed a 
great many tears; but both the merchant and his 
sons cried in earnest. There was only Beauty who 
did not, for she thought that this would only make 
the matter worse. They reached the palace in a very 
few hours, and the horse, without bidding, went 
into the same stable as before. The merchant and 
Beauty walked towards the large hall, where they 
found a table covered with every dainty, and two 
plates laid ready. The merchant had very little ap¬ 
petite; but Beauty, that she might the better hide 
her grief, placed herself at the table, and helped her 
father; she then began herself to eat, and thought all 
the time that to be sure the beast had a mind to fat¬ 
ten her before he eat her up, as he had got such good 
cheer for her. When they had done their supper, 
they heard a great noise, and the good old man be- 


Beauty and the Beast 


361 


gan to bid his poor child farewell, for he knew it 
was the beast coming to them. When Beauty first 
saw his frightful form, she could not help being 
afraid; but she tried to hide her fear as much as she 
could. The beast asked her if she had come quite 
of her own accord, and though she was now still 
more afraid than before, she made shift to say, 
“ Y-e-s.” “ You are a good girl, and I think my¬ 

self very much obliged to you.” He then turned 
towards her father, and said to him, “ Good man, 
you may leave the palace to-morrow morning, and 
take care never to come back to it again. Good 
night, Beauty.” “ Good night, beast,” said she; and 
then the monster went out of the room. 

“ Ah! my dear child,” said the merchant, kissing 
his daughter, “ I am half dead already, at the 
thoughts of leaving you with this dreadful beast; 
you had better go back, and let me stay in your 
place.” “ No,” said Beauty boldly, “ I will never 
agree to that; you must go home to-morrow morn¬ 
ing.” They then wished each other good night, and 
went to bed, both of them thinking they should not 
be able to close their eyes; but as soon as ever they 
had laid down, they fell into a deep sleep, and did 
not wake till morning. Beauty dreamed that a lady 
came up to her, who said, “ I am very much pleased, 
Beauty, with the goodness you have shown, in being 
willing to give your life to save that of your father: 
and it shall not go without a reward.” As soon as 
Beauty awoke, she told her father this dream; but 
though it gave him some comfort, he could not take 
leave of his darling child without shedding many 
tears. When the merchant got out of sight, Beauty 


362 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

sat down in the large hall, and began to cry also: 
yet she had a great deal of courage, and so she soon 
resolved not to make her sad case still worse by sor¬ 
row, which she knew could not be of any use to her, 
but to wait as well as she could till night, when she 
thought the beast would not fail to come and eat her 
up. She walked about to take a view of all the 
palace, and the beauty of every part of it much 
charmed her. 

But what was her surprise, when she came to a 
door on which was written, Beauty's room! She 
opened it in haste, and her eyes were all at once daz¬ 
zled at the grandeur of the inside of the room. 
What made her wonder more than all the rest was, 
a large library filled with books, a harpsichord, and 
many other pieces of music. “ The beast takes care I 
shall not be at a loss how to amuse myself,” said she. 
She then thought that it was not likely such things 
would have been got ready for her, if she had but 
one day to live; and began to hope all would not 
turn out so bad as she and her father had feared. 
She opened the library, and saw these verses written 
in letters of gold on the back of one of the books: 

“ Beauteous lady, dry your tears, 

Here’s no cause for sighs or fears; 
Command as freely as you may, 

Enjoyment still shall mark your sway.” 

“ Alas! ” said she, sighing, “ there is nothing I 
so much desire as to see my poor father and to know 
what he is doing at this moment.” She said this to 
herself; but just then by chance, she cast her eyes 


Beauty and the Beast 


363 


on a looking-glass that stood near her, and in the 
glass she saw her home, and her father riding up 
to the cottage in the deepest sorrow. Her sisters 
came out to meet him, but for all they tried to 
look sorry, it was easy to see that in their hearts 
they were very glad. In a short time all this picture 
went away out of the glass: but Beauty began to 
think that the beast was very kind to her, and that 
she had no need to be afraid of him. About the 
middle of the day, she found a table laid ready for 
her; and a sweet concert of music played all the 
time she was eating her dinner without her seeing 
a single creature. But at supper, when she was go¬ 
ing to seat herself at table, she heard the noise of the 
beast, and could not help trembling with fear. 
“ Beauty,” said he, “ will you give me leave to see 
you sup ? ” “ That is as you please,” answered she, 
very much afraid. “ Not in the least,” said the 
beast; “ you alone command in this place. If you 
should not like my company, you need only to say 
so, and I will leave you that moment. But tell me, 
Beauty, do you not think me very ugly ? ” “ Why, 
yes,” said she, “ for I cannot tell a Story; but then 
I think you are very good.” “ You are right,” re¬ 
plied the beast; “ and, besides being ugly, I am also 
very stupid: I know very well enough that I am but 
a beast.” 

“ I should think you cannot be very stupid,” said 
Beauty, “ if you yourself know this.” “ Pray do not 
let me hinder you from eating,” said he; “and be 
sure you do not want for any thing; for all you see 
is yours, and I shall be vastly grieved if you are not 
happy.” “ You are very kind,” said Beauty: “ I 


364 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

must needs own that I think very well of your good¬ 
nature, and then I almost forget how ugly you are.” 
“ Yes, yes, I hope I am good-tempered,” said he, 
“ but still I am a monster.” “ There are many men 
who are worse monsters than you are,” replied 
Beauty; “ and I am better pleased with you in that 
form, though it is so ugly, than with those who 
carry wicked hearts under the form of a man.” “ If 
I had any sense,” said the beast, “ I would thank 
you for what you have said; but I am too stupid to 
say any thing that would give you pleasure.” Beauty 
eat her supper with a very good appetite, and almost 
lost all her dread of the monster; but she was ready 
to sink with fright, when he said to her, “ Beauty, 
will you be my wife ? ” For a few minutes she was 
not able to speak a word, for she was afraid of put¬ 
ting him in a passion, by refusing. At length she 
said, “ No, beast.” The beast made no reply, but 
sighed deeply, and went away. When Beauty found 
herself alone, she began to feel pity for the poor 
beast. “ Dear! ” said she, “ what a sad thing it is 
that he should be so very frightful, since he is so 
good-tempered! ” 

Beauty lived three months in this palace, very 
well pleased. The beast came to see her every 
night, and talked with her while she supped; and 
though what he said was not very clever, yet as she 
saw in him every day some new mark of his good¬ 
ness, so instead ,of dreading the time of his coming, 
she was always looking at her watch, to see if it was 
almost nine o’clock; for that was the time when he 
never failed to visit her. There was but one thing 
that vexed her; which was that every night, before 


Beauty and the Beast 365 

the beast went away from her, he always made it a 
rule to ask her if she would be his wife, and seemed 
very much grieved at her saying no. At last, one 
night, she said to him, “ You vex me greatly, beast, 
by forcing me to refuse you so often; I wish I could 
take such a liking to you as to agree to marry you, 
but I must tell you plainly, that I do not think it will 
ever happen. I shall always be your friend; so try 
to let that make you easy.” “ I must needs do so 
then,” said the beast, “ for I know well enough how 
frightful I am; but I love you better than myself. 
Yet I think I am very lucky in your being pleased to 
stay with me; now promise me, Beauty, that vou 
will never leave me.” Beauty was quite struck when 
he said this; for that very day she had seen in her 
glass that her father had fallen sick of grief for her 
sake, and was very ill for the want of seeing her 
again. “ I would promise you, with all my heart,” 
said she, “ never to leave you quite; but I long so 
much to see my father, that if you do not give me 
leave to visit him I shall die with grief.” “ I would 
rather die myself, Beauty,” answered the beast, 
“ than make you fret; I will send you to your 
father’s cottage, you shall stay there, and your poor 
beast shall die of sorrow.” “ No,” said Beauty, cry¬ 
ing, “ I love you too well to be the cause of your 
death; I promise to return in a week. You have 
shown me that my sisters are married, and my broth¬ 
ers are gone for soldiers, so that my father is left all 
alone. Let me stay a week with him.” “ You shall 
find yourself with him to-morrow morning,” replied 
the beast; “ but mind, do not forget your promise. 
When you wish to return you have nothing to do but 


366 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

to put your ring on a table when you go to bed. 
Good-bye, Beauty! ” The beast then sighed as he 
said these words, and Beauty went to bed very sorry 
to see him so much grieved. When she awoke in the 
morning, she found herself in her father’s cottage. 
She rung a bell that was at her bedside, and a ser¬ 
vant entered; but as soon as she saw Beauty, the 
woman gave a loud shriek; upon which the mer¬ 
chant ran up stairs, and when he beheld his daugh¬ 
ter he was ready to die of joy. He ran to the bed¬ 
side, and kissed her a hundred times. At last 
Beauty began to remember that she had brought no 
clothes with her to put on; but the servant told her 
she had just found in the next room a large chest 
full of dresses, trimmed all over with gold, and 
adorned with pearls and diamonds. 

Beauty in her own mind thanked the beast for his 
kindness, and put on the plainest gown she could 
find among them all. She then told the servant to 
put the rest away with a great deal of care, for she 
intended to give them to her sisters; but as soon as 
she had spoken these words the chest was gone out 
of sight in a moment. Her father then said, per¬ 
haps the beast chose for her to keep them all for her¬ 
self; and as soon as he had said this, they saw the 
chest standing again in the same place. While Beauty 
was dressing herself, a servant brought word to 
her that her sisters were come with their husbands to 
pay her a visit. They both lived unhappily with the 
gentlemen they had married. The husband of the 
eldest was very handsome; but was so very proud 
of this, that he thought of nothing else from morn¬ 
ing till night, and did not attend to the beauty of his 


Beauty and the Beast 


367 


wife. The second had married a man of great learn¬ 
ing; but he made no use of it, only to torment and 
affront all his friends, and his wife more than any 
of them. The two sisters were ready to burst with 
spite when they saw Beauty dressed like a princess, 
and look so very charming. All the kindness that 
she showed them was of no use; for they were 
vexed more than ever, when she told them how 
happy she lived at the palace of the beast. The 
spiteful creatures went by themselves into the gar¬ 
den, where they cried to think of her good fortune. 
“ Why should the little wretch be better off than 
we?” said they. “We are much handsomer than 
she is.” “ Sister,” said the eldest, “ a thought has 
just come into my head: let us try to keep her here 
longer than the week that the beast gave her leave 
for: and then he will be so angry, that perhaps he 
will eat her up in a moment.” “ That is well thought 
of,” answered the other, “ but to do this we must 
seem very kind to her.” They then made up their 
minds to be so, and went to join her in the cottage: 
where they showed her so much false love, that 
Beauty could not help crying for joy. 

When the week was ended, the two sisters began 
to pretend so much grief at the thoughts of her 
leaving them, that she agreed to stay a week more; 
but all that time Beauty could not help fretting for 
the sorrow that she knew her staying would give her 
poor beast; for she tenderly loved him, and much 
wished for his company again. The tenth night of 
her being at the cottage she dreamed she was in the 
garden of the palace, and that the beast lay dying 
on a grass plot, and, with his last breath, put her 


368 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

in mind of her promise, and laid his death to her 
keeping away from him. Beauty awoke in a great 
fright, and burst into tears. “ Am not I wicked,” 
said she, “ to behave so ill to a beast who has shown 
me so much kindness; why will I not marry him ? 
I am sure I should be more happy with him than my 
sisters are with their husbands. He shall not be 
wretched any longer on my account; for I should 
do nothing but blame myself all the rest of my life.” 

She then rose, put her ring on the table, got into 
bed again, and soon fell asleep. In the morning she 
with joy found herself in the palace of the beast. 
She dressed herself very finely, that she might please 
him the better, and thought she had never known a 
day pass away so slow. At last the clock struck nine, 
but the beast did not come. Beauty then thought to 
be sure she had been the cause of his death in earnest. 
She ran from room to room all over the palace, 
calling out his name, but still she saw nothing of 
him. After looking for him a long time, she thought 
of her dream, and ran directly towards the grass 
plot; and there she found the poor beast lying sense¬ 
less and seeming dead. She threw herself upon his 
body, thinking nothing at all of his ugliness; and 
finding his heart still beat, she ran and fetched 
some water from a pond in the garden, and threw it 
on his face. The beast then opened his eyes, and 
said : “ You have forgot your promise, Beauty. My 
grief for the loss of you has made me resolve to 
starve myself to death; but I shall die content, since 
I have had the pleasure of seeing you once more.” 
“ No, dear beast,” replied Beauty, “ you shall not 
die; you shall live to be my husband: from this mo- 


Beauty and the Beast 


369 


ment I offer to marry you, and will be only yours. 
Oh! I thought I felt only friendship for you; but the 
pain I now feel, shows me that I could not live with¬ 
out seeing you.” 

The moment Beauty had spoken these words, the 
palace was suddenly lighted up, and music, fire¬ 
works, and all kinds of rejoicings, appeared round 
about them. Yet Beauty took no notice of all this, 
but watched over her dear beast with the greatest 
tenderness. But now she was all at once amazed 
to see at her feet, instead of her poor beast, the 
handsomest prince that ever was seen, who thanked 
her most warmly for having broken his enchant¬ 
ment. Though this young prince deserved all her 
notice, she could not help asking him what was be¬ 
come of the beast. “ You see him at your feet, 
Beauty,” answered the prince, “ for I am he. A 
wicked fairy had condemned me to keep the form of 
a beast till a beautiful young lady should agree to 
marry me, and ordered me, on pain of death, not to 
show that I had any sense. You, alone, dearest 
Beauty, have kindly judged of me by the goodness 
of my heart; and in return I offer you my hand and 
my crown, though I know the reward is much less 
than what I owe you.” Beauty, in the most pleasing 
surprise, helped the prince to rise, and they walked 
along to the palace, when her wonder was very 
great to find her father and sisters there, who had 
been brought by the lady Beauty had seen in her 
dream. “ Beauty,” said the lady (for she was a 
fairy), “ receive the reward of the choice you have 
made. You have chosen goodness of heart rather 
than sense and beauty; therefore you deserve to find 


370 Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know 

them all three joined in the same person. You are 
going to be a great Queen: I hope a crown will not 
destroy your virtue.” 

“ As for you, ladies,” said the fairy to the other 
two sisters, “ I have long known the malice of your 
hearts, and the wrongs you have done. You shall 
become two statues; but under that form you shall 
still keep your reason, and shall be fixed at the gates 
of your sister’s palace; and I will not pass any worse 
sentence on you than to see her happy. You will 
never appear in your own persons again till you are 
fully cured of your faults; and to tell the truth, I am 
very much afraid you will remain statues for ever.” 

At the same moment, the fairy, with a stroke of 
her wand, removed all who were present to the 
young prince’s country, where he was received with 
the greatest joy by his subjects. He married Beauty, 
and passed a long and happy life with her, because 
they still kept in the same course of goodness from 
which they had never departed. 
















































































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